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Ricky Ponting Backs Shreyas Iyer as Future India T20 Captain
Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting has backed Shreyas Iyer as a leading contender to captain India in T20 cricket, praising his maturity, leadership qualities and impressive IPL...
India T20I captaincy: Ricky Ponting backs Shreyas Iyer to replace ...
KEY TAKEAWAYS: Ricky Ponting names Shreyas Iyer as a prime contender to succeed Suryakumar as India's T20 captain.Iyer became only the fifth IPL captain to lead 100 matches, joining Dhoni, Rohit, Kohli, Gambhir.However, Punjab's six-match losing streak has complicated the narrative around Iyer's leadership credentials.IPL 2026 HUB: Latest IPL News | IPL Points Table | Team Stats | IPL 2026 SquadsRicky Ponting backs Shreyas Iyer as future India T20 captainRicky Ponting has backed Shreyas Iyer to take over India's T20 captaincy mantle from Suryakumar Yadav in the near future. According to Ponting, Iyer is not merely a name to watch for a national recall. He is, in the Australian's assessment, one of the strongest candidates to eventually lead the nation as Suryakumar continues to struggle with the bat. Iyer's IPL captaincy record provides the foundation for Ponting's argument. During this season, the 31-year-old became only the fifth skipper in IPL history to captain a side in 100 matches, joining an exclusive group comprising MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir.MORE: PBKS IPL 2026 playoff chances detailed: Qualification scenarios, wins and points required for Punjab KingsHe also holds a record of being the only captain in the to have led three different teams, Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings, each to an IPL summit clash. He won the title with KKR and his stock got a major boost in the IPL circuit."I think there are several contenders, but he's (Shreyas Iyer) one of the main contenders as far as I'm concerned," Ponting told PTI news agency on Wednesday."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."Suryakumar, who guided India to T20 World Cup glory earlier this year, is expected to continue as captain for the upcoming tours of Ireland and England.However, reports suggest his position is under quiet scrutiny, particularly given a dip in his personal batting form. It is into this space that Ponting has inserted Iyer's name not as a replacement tomorrow, but as a credible long-term option that selectors should be actively discussing.MORE: Explained: What Punjab Kings need to do to reach IPL 2026 playoffsHow Shreyas Iyer evolved to become a hard-hitting T20 batsman?It must be noted that Iyer has not played in India colours in the T20 format since December 2023. Although he was included in the New Zealand series before the global tou...
Shreyas Iyer main contender for India T20I captaincy, says Ricky Ponting
As chief selector Ajit Agarkar and the BCCI selection committee gathered in Guwahati on Tuesday to finalise the Test and ODI squads for upcoming multi-format series against Afghanistan in June, the broader conversation around national leadership continued to simmer in the background. It is against this backdrop that Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting dropped a tactical bombshell regarding the T20I captaincy. According to the former Australian captain, PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer isn't just a dark horse to return to the national fold-he is a prime contender to potentially succeed Suryakumar Yadav as India's next T20I captain.The timing of Ponting's endorsement is loaded with intense selection drama. Reports have intensified that Suryakumar's captaincy will be under scrutiny amid a dip in his personal form and the team's need to look into the future. While the incumbent, who led the team to World Cup glory earlier this year, is expected to retain the reins for the upcoming twin tours of Ireland and England in June-July, his leash is increasingly short.Enter Shreyas Iyer. "I think there are several contenders, but he's (Shreyas Iyer) one of the main contenders as far as I'm concerned," Ponting told PTI news agency on Wednesday."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."IYER IN THE FRAY?Iyer's inclusion in the captaincy debate carries an element of sweet vindication, but it comes wrapped in immense irony. The 31-year-old has been in complete T20I exile since December 2023. Even when he was named in the squad for the home series against New Zealand right before the T20 World Cup earlier this year, he spent the entirety of the assignment warming the bench.Yet, Iyer has forced his way back into the conversation through sheer evolution. Long pigeonholed as a slow anchor, Iyer radically rebuilt his T20 game over the last two IPL seasons. His strike rate, which historically hovered at a modest 135, skyrocketed to 178 last year, and stands at an impressive 162.31 overall this season.However, the narrative surrounding Iyer's leadership has suddenly been complicated by a harrowing mid-season crisis. After a spectacular first half that saw Punjab flying high at the top half of the table, the Kings have suffered a catastrophic collapse, losing six consecutive matches on the bounce. Strikingly, Iyer's own golden touch with the bat has dissolved alongside his team's fortunes. In ...
Ricky Ponting's strong endorsement puts Shreyas Iyer in captaincy ...
Amid these conversations, one cannot ignore the rise of young IPL-winning captain Shreyas Iyer, who has steadily strengthened his case as a future leader of India's next-generation T20 setup ...
