 "Shreyas Iyer hasn't represented India in Test cricket since the second of five Tests against England in Visakhapatnam last year. Image: Reuters")
Shreyas Iyer impressed everyone with his performances in the IPL 2025 season and now he is reportedly in the running to become India’s captain in the white-ball format. Iyer helped Punjab Kings reach their first IPL final in 11 years and it was also the first time the team made it to the playoffs since 2014.
Iyer led from the front, scoring an unbeaten 87 in the Eliminator match against Mumbai Indians to take the team to the final. Before that, he also helped Punjab Kings finish at the top of the IPL 2025 points table. However, his team suffered a heartbreaking loss at the hands of Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the final.
Iyer’s IPL 2025 heroics put him in spotlight
Iyer became first captain in IPL history to take three different teams to the final. According to a report by The Indian Express, an influential person in the Indian cricket setup has said that Iyer has officially entered the captaincy race for T20Is and ODIs after his brilliant performance in this year’s IPL.
“Right now he just plays ODIs but after this IPL we can’t keep him out of T20 internationals and even Tests. Plus he also has now officially joined the white-ball captaincy race,” the report quoted the source as saying.
Currently, he is part of India’s ODI setup but hasn’t been a regular in the T20I and Test sides in recent times. He recently won the ICC Champions Trophy in Dubai and finished as runners-up in the 2023 Cricket World Cup. However, Iyer’s chances to get into the T20I and Test teams now seem to have improved after a stellar IPL 2025 season.
With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli already retired from T20Is and Tests, Iyer may get a chance to make a comeback for India in these formats. Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir recently said that anyone can come into the team if they are performing well in domestic cricket.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsIyer has consistently performed well for Mumbai in domestic cricket, including the Ranji Trophy. He captained the side to a successful Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign in the latest season. Iyer played his last Test match against England in 2024 and his last T20I was against Australia in 2023.