Why is Suryakumar Yadav not playing IRE vs IND 1st T20I in Belfast?
(Courtesy : BCCI)
Suryakumar Yadav led India to the T20 World Cup 2026 title in March.
India are set to play two T20Is against Ireland on June 26 and 28 in Belfast. This is India‘s first T20I assignment since their magnificent victory in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
The Men in Blue have brought in Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Suryansh Shedge in the squad, giving them their maiden call-ups. Moreover, Prasidh Krishna and Ravi Bishnoi have returned to the T20I squad in the absence of Mohammad Siraj and Varun Chakravarthy.
On the other hand, the T20I regulars, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Arshdeep Singh, Shivam Dube, and Axar Patel, continue to be an indispensable part of the squad.
India have taken the field in this series under the leadership of a new captain, Shreyas Iyer. He is replacing Suryakumar Yadav in the squad as a batsman and the skipper. The BCCI named Iyer as the new T20I captain earlier this month.
Why is Suryakumar Yadav absent from the 1st T20I against Ireland?
Suryakumar Yadav was dropped from India’s T20I squad right after winning the T20 World Cup 2026 title. The right-handed batsman has been struggling with poor form since 2025; that year, he averaged just 13.62 across 21 T20Is.
Even in 2026, despite playing some decent innings during the T20 World Cup, his form remained relatively poor. He scored 242 runs in 8 matches in the tournament, with notable knocks against the USA, Zimbabwe and Netherlands.
As a skipper, the 35-year-old never lost any bilateral series and had an impeccable win percentage in the shortest format during his tenure. India won 40 of the 52 T20I matches played under Surya’s captaincy, resulting in an impressive win percentage of 76.90.
He captained the team in nine bilateral series and won eight of them, while drawing one. The wins included teams like South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and England.
Despite such an incredible captaincy record, Surya’s bat had gone quiet since 2025. Due to his woeful batting performances in the T20Is and the IPL 2026, he was not picked in the squad.
Moreover, Shreyas Iyer has been in remarkable form with the bat and as a captain. He won domestic titles and was also the captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their title-winning campaign in 2024. He led Punjab Kings (PBKS) to their second IPL final in 2025, where they finished as runners-up.
Iyer is making a comeback to the Indian T20I team after a long time. He played his last match in December 2023.
Why is Suryakumar Yadav not playing IRE vs IND 1st T20I?
Suryakumar Yadav was dropped from India’s T20I squad right after winning the T20 World Cup 2026 title due to poor form.
Who is India’s new T20I captain?
Shreyas Iyer is India’s new T20I captain.
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Cricket runs in the blood of Indians — and that’s something she truly believes in. A law student with a lifelong connection to the game, she has followed cricket passionately since his school days. Like countless young fans, she first experienced the sport on the field before deepening his understanding through constant watching, reading, and conversations around the game. Writing became a natural extension of that passion, bringing a “Pavilion Perspective” to his work — capturing how fans experience matches through their own lens.