Shreyas Iyer has reportedly entered the fray for India's white-ball captaincy, marking a significant turn in the leadership landscape of the national cricket team. This development follows Iyer's impressive performance as captain of the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, where he led the team to their first final in 11 years.

Iyer's leadership skills and batting consistency have garnered attention, positioning him as a potential candidate for the coveted captaincy role. Despite being left out of the Test squad for the upcoming series against England, his white-ball credentials have been hard to ignore. An unnamed BCCI official told The Indian Express that Iyer's recent form makes it difficult to keep him out of T20 Internationals and even Tests.

Iyer's captaincy record in T20 cricket is commendable, with 61 wins out of 100 matches. He has also led teams to 29 victories in 42 List A matches. His success in the IPL, where he has captained three different teams to the final, further strengthens his case. Notably, he led the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their first IPL title in a decade in 2024.

In the IPL 2025, PBKS secured a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2014 under Iyer's leadership. Although they lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the final, Iyer's contributions were significant. He amassed 604 runs in 17 innings, with an average of 50.33 and a strike rate of 175.07. He was bought by Punjab Kings for INR 26.75 crore and quickly developed a strong bond with his teammates and the fanbase, who nicknamed him "Sarpanch Sahab" for his calm approach.

Iyer's international career includes 14 Tests, 70 ODIs, and 51 T20Is. He played a key role in India's 2025 Champions Trophy victory, finishing as the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament. While he last played a Test in February 2024 and a T20I in December 2023, he is expected to feature in the upcoming white-ball series against Bangladesh in August 2025.

The current white-ball captaincy situation is somewhat complex. Suryakumar Yadav leads the T20I team, while Rohit Sharma has retired from the ODI format. Shubman Gill, the newly appointed Test captain, serves as the vice-captain in white-ball cricket. The emergence of Iyer as a potential captain adds another dimension to the leadership discussion. With India preferring to have separate captains for white-ball and red-ball formats, Iyer's inclusion in the leadership group could be a strategic move.