Earlier this year, Suryakumar Yadav led India into history. Under his captaincy, India successfully defended the T20 World Cup title in March, something no team had previously achieved in the tournament’s history. The triumph also made India the most successful side in T20 World Cup history with three titles.
Just months after that landmark achievement, however, Suryakumar now appears to be on the verge of losing not only the captaincy but possibly his place in India’s T20I setup altogether.
The issue, according to reports, is not leadership. It is a form.
Despite flashes of brilliance over the past year, including a stunning IPL 2025 campaign and several impactful innings in international cricket, his dramatic decline in IPL 2026 is believed to have forced selectors towards a difficult decision.
“The selectors wanted to wait until the IPL ended to assess whether he could recover his rhythm. It was not just about low scores. He looked completely out of touch,” a BCCI source told PTI.
From revolutionary batter to India’s T20 centrepiece
Suryakumar’s rise in international cricket had once completely altered the way India approached T20 batting.
After years of consistent performances for Mumbai Indians, he carried his fearless style into international cricket and became one of the format’s most destructive batters.
Between 2021 and the end of 2023, he produced numbers rarely seen in T20 internationals. During that phase, he scored 2141 runs in 57 innings while averaging 45.55 at a staggering strike rate of 171.85.
He smashed four centuries and 17 half centuries during that period. Only Mohammad Rizwan scored more runs in T20Is across those years, but at a significantly slower strike rate.
Among all batters who faced at least 500 deliveries in that period, Suryakumar finished with the highest strike rate in world cricket.
The prolonged slump that changed everything
As the runs dried up, Suryakumar consistently maintained that he was “not out of form, just out of runs.”
But the numbers increasingly suggested deeper problems.
Over a stretch of 22 innings without a fifty, he averaged just 12.84 with a strike rate of 117.87. Fast bowling, once something he dismantled effortlessly, began troubling him repeatedly.
During that difficult phase, he was dismissed 18 times by pace bowlers while averaging only 8.11 against them.
Analysts also noticed a sharp dip in his scoring areas in front of the wicket, indicating possible issues with timing and balance against quicker bowling.
One final reminder of his brilliance
Even during that decline, Suryakumar briefly reminded everyone why he had once become the face of India’s T20 revolution.
In IPL 2025, he delivered one of the greatest seasons by a middle order batter in tournament history. He scored 717 runs in 16 matches at an average of 65.18 and a strike rate nearing 168, eventually winning the tournament’s MVP award.
It was the first time a non opener crossed 700 runs in a single IPL season and also the highest ever tally by a Mumbai Indians batter, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s long standing franchise record.
That season, combined with a few encouraging knocks for India earlier this year, appears to have convinced selectors to delay a final call on his future.
Why selectors waited this long
India’s transition plans in T20 cricket had already begun taking shape before the World Cup itself. Age was always expected to become a factor eventually, and internally there was awareness that Suryakumar’s captaincy stint might not last very long.
However, India’s unsuccessful attempts to establish Shubman Gill as a T20 leader bought Suryakumar extra time.
Winning the World Cup bought him even more.
After lifting the trophy, Suryakumar openly spoke about targeting both the 2028 Olympics and the 2028 T20 World Cup, making it clear that retirement was nowhere near his mind.
Selectors, meanwhile, chose patience over immediate change.
But IPL 2026 appears to have changed the equation completely.
Suryakumar managed only 270 runs in 13 matches for Mumbai Indians this season, averaging just 20.77 in a campaign where he rarely looked comfortable.
By the end of the tournament, the direction seemed increasingly inevitable.
The selectors did not rush the decision. They simply waited until the season ended before making peace with it.
