New front-runner emerges in India’s white-ball captaincy race

A new contender has stepped into the spotlight for India’s white-ball captaincy, according to Indian media reports on Saturday.

Although he was not selected for the upcoming five-match Test series against England, the player has now officially joined the race to lead India in One Day Internationals (ODIs) and Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is).

The 30-year-old Shreyas Iyer recently guided the Punjab Kings (PBKS) to their first Indian Premier League (IPL) final in 11 years. He impressed both as a leader and with the bat, scoring 604 runs in 17 innings at an average of 50.33 and a strike rate of 175.07 in IPL 2025.

His strong form continued on the international stage, where he played a key role in India’s Champions Trophy 2025 victory. He ended the tournament as the second-highest run-scorer, helping India win the title for the first time since 2013.

“Right now he just plays ODIs, but after this IPL, we can’t keep him out of T20 Internationals and even Tests. Plus, he has now officially joined the white-ball captaincy race,” a senior BCCI official was quoted as saying.

Iyer has shown leadership strength across formats, having captained in 100 T20 matches with 61 wins and 37 losses. In List A cricket, he has led teams to 29 wins in 42 matches, with only 10 losses.

He has played 14 Tests, 70 ODIs, and 51 T20Is for India. His last Test appearance was in February 2024, while his most recent T20I came in December 2023 against Australia. At present, he is leading the Mumbai Falcons in the T20 Mumbai League 2025.

He is expected to return to international action in August 2025, when India tours Bangladesh for a white-ball series featuring three ODIs and three T20Is.

With Rohit Sharma expected to retire after the 2027 World Cup, India is yet to name a long-term ODI captain.