Suryakumar Yadav's place in T20Is to be discussed by Ajit Agarkar-led BCCI selection committee

Suryakumar Yadav is averaging just 17.3 in the ongoing IPL 2026. It should've been a great IPL considering how awful his international stretch was.

It seemed like Suryakumar Yadav’s captaincy is up for a toss. However, now, even his place in the side is under question. Suryakumar Yadav remains one of the most influential T20 batters India have produced, but the returns are no longer matching the reputation. He experienced a dip in 2023 which became a horror stretch when the 2025 came. However, by now, we all know that he is well past his prime and the countdown is on over his place in the Indian T20I side.

BCCI to mull over Suryakumar Yadav’s place

As reported by The Hindu, India’s T20I succession planning is expected to come up informally during the senior selection committee meeting in Guwahati on May 19. The meeting has officially been called to pick the squad for the one-off Afghanistan Test, but discussions around the upcoming T20 tours of Ireland and England are also likely to begin.

This will be the selectors’ first in-person meeting since India defended the T20 World Cup title earlier this year under Suryakumar’s captaincy. The planning now happens for T20 World Cup cycle basis. Suryakumar did magic alongside Gautam Gambhir for the 2026 edition. Now, the plan is to build for the 2028 T20 World Cup, a year that also has the LA 2028 Olympics.

The concern is not captaincy. By most accounts, Suryakumar handled leadership well. India stayed aggressive under Gautam Gambhir, tactically looked clearer than before, and successfully defended their world title. The biggest issue is that India began carrying the batter rather than benefitting from him.

SKY’s batting decline becoming impossible to ignore

The drop in Suryakumar’s numbers since taking over the captaincy is huge. Even his loyal fans can’t defend a batter, who was once on track to be India’s best T20 batter ever. Until mid-2024, he was operating at levels very few T20 batters in world cricket had touched. Since then, both his average and strike rate have dipped sharply.

Even during India’s successful World Cup campaign, there was a sense that Suryakumar never fully dominated the tournament outside one major innings against USA. In knockout games against West Indies, England and New Zealand, he registered scores of 18, 11 and 0 respectively.

Suryakumar’s IPL 2026 stats

• Matches: 11
• Runs: 195
• Average: 17.73
• SR: 144.44

This season, he has appeared particularly hesitant for a player whose game is built on quick reflexes, bold strokeplay, and angles. The bowlers are now coming hard at him, pitching it short and near his body, and they are no longer sparing him.

The selectors also have to think long-term. Suryakumar turns 36 in September, while the next T20 World Cup is still two years away in Australia and New Zealand. India see a genuine opportunity to chase a third straight title there, something no team has achieved before.