Ricky Ponting Backs Shreyas Iyer As India’s Next T20I Captain Amid Suryakumar Yadav Concerns

Ricky Ponting believes Shreyas Iyer has emerged as a serious contender for India’s T20I captaincy after impressing with both his leadership and batting performances in recent seasons.

With reports suggesting that the Indian team management is reconsidering Suryakumar Yadav’s future as T20I captain following his dip in form, Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer has emerged as one of the leading candidates for the role.

Apart from Iyer, names like Sanju Samson and Shubman Gill are also being discussed as possible options for India’s white-ball leadership group ahead of the upcoming T20I assignments.

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has now publicly backed Iyer’s credentials, stating that the middle-order batter has strengthened his case through consistent leadership and mature performances both on and off the field.

“I think there are several contenders, but he’s (Shreyas Iyer) one of the main contenders as far as I’m concerned. I think we saw at the start of the tournament just how good a T20 player he is and where he’s at, both on and off the field right now,” Ponting told news agency PTI.

India are scheduled to tour Ireland for a two-match T20I series in late June before travelling to England for a five-match T20I series, with the squads expected to be announced next month.

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Ponting Praises Iyer’s Growth And Leadership

Ponting, who currently serves as Punjab Kings head coach, has closely worked with Iyer during IPL 2026. The duo had earlier guided Punjab Kings to the IPL final last season, while Iyer also captained Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title in 2024.

The former Australian skipper believes Iyer has now entered the best phase of his cricketing career and has evolved significantly as a player and leader.

“I think he’s a much more mature player than he’s probably ever been in his whole career. I think he’s completely on top of his game now. He’s probably a good example of what I was talking about earlier; it’s really hard to maintain a high level of consistency through 14 games of cricket. There are going to be times when you have your ups and downs as an individual and as a team,” he said.

Punjab Kings started IPL 2026 strongly under Iyer’s leadership and remained unbeaten in their first seven matches. However, the franchise has since suffered six consecutive defeats, putting their playoff hopes in danger.

Ponting Confident Of Iyer’s India Return

Despite Punjab Kings’ recent struggles, Ponting remains confident that Iyer can bounce back strongly and push his case for a return to India’s T20I setup.

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“I’m pretty sure he’ll bounce back in this last game that we’ve got. If he stands up and makes a big score, then we’re a good chance of winning the game,” he added.

Ponting also admitted that he has often been surprised whenever Iyer has been left out of India squads in recent years.

“I’ve been pretty vocal over the last couple of years that whenever India selects a team, and Shreyas is not in it, I’m always very surprised. On the back of this IPL, I’m sure he’s one name the selectors will talk about, not just to get back into the side, but also with the captaincy next to his name,” Ponting said.

“The thing about Indian cricket is that you don’t just walk back into teams. You’ve got to put a lot of runs on the board and do it in a certain way. His season so far has been very impressive, and his captaincy has been excellent. I just think he’s in that little sweet spot in his life and career where, if captaincy came his way, then I think he’d make the most of it,” he added.

Iyer last represented India in T20Is in December 2023. In IPL 2026 so far, he has scored 397 runs from 12 innings at an impressive strike rate of 162.70.