Mumbai, June 5 (IANS) India’s T20 World Cup-winning captain Suryakumar Yadav paid a courtesy visit to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at his official residence, Varsha, in Mumbai on Friday. This visit came amidst a lot of speculations about Suryakumar’s continuation as the skipper of India in the T20I format.
This meeting, which was tweeted by the Chief Minister’s Office, was followed closely as discussions about the leadership of India in T20 format began in earnest as India’s next assignment in T20I format is expected in the latter part of this month.
“Today, Indian cricketer Suryakumar Yadav paid a courtesy visit to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at his official residence Varsha in Mumbai,” CMO Maharashtra posted on X.
As far as Suryakumar Yadav is concerned, he is still the captain of India’s T20I side. The question whether he will be the captain for the next cycle or not is still unanswered and is expected to be discussed in an Apex Council meeting to be held by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in online mode on Saturday.
As per sources close to the matter, it is not certain whether the discussion regarding the next T20I captain will be on the formal agenda. However, since India is preparing for the 2028 T20 World Cup and T20 cricket is making a comeback at the Los Angeles Olympics, the leadership plan would be expected to be high on the agenda in the coming months.
Earlier in March, Suryakumar Yadav captained India in the T20 World Cup title win for the second time in a row and further stamped his authority as a captain. However, his position as captain comes under the scanner following a rough spell in his batting form.
Suryakumar’s stint with the Mumbai Indians during the IPL 2026 season was dismal as he managed to score only 270 runs in 13 matches at an average of 20.76. It was an indifferent season for the Mumbai Indians as well, who finished in 9th position in the league. He could not make much impact even in the Mumbai T20 league, which he was playing recently, and could not even score a single good innings for Triumph Knights Mumbai North East.
This drop in his batting form has also brought about questions on whether he should continue to lead the Indian side or whether India’s selectors should prepare a new skipper for the next cycle.
Several options are already there in consideration if selectors decide to opt for a new face. These names are Hardik Pandya, who remains a firm favourite for the role, and current ODI vice-captain, Shreyas Iyer, who has also made a case for himself in all the formats of the game recently. Others considered contenders are Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, and Ishan Kishan, who have been decent enough when it comes to captaincy at the domestic and franchise level.
It is worth mentioning here that Suryakumar was appointed as the captain of India’s T20I side after Rohit Sharma retired from the T20I format after the World Cup win in the Caribbean back in 2024. Since taking over the reins, he has maintained India’s dominance in this particular format as well, which was confirmed with the second title win this year.
India’s next T20I fixture is a two-match series against Ireland on June 26 and 28, with the squad announcement to take place later this month, followed by a five-match T20I series in England and three more matches in Zimbabwe.
–IANS
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