&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "'Can lead Indian team': Two-time WC winner Piyush Chawla on Shreyas Iyer's place in T20I side")
Shreyas Iyer has changed everything about Punjab Kings (PBKS). One of the eight franchises from the original eight, PBKS has never won the title but came close to it in IPL 2026, losing to RCB in the final. In IPL 2026, PBKS are currently at the top of 10-team table with nine points from four wins and a washout in five matches played. They are the only unbeaten in the IPL 2026 as of now and have won all the four matches while chasing. The last three of four chases, Iyer scored 50, 69 not out, and 66 - leading the side from the front. Does his form warrant a him a place in India's T20I team?
Should Shreyas Iyer be in India's T20I setup?
Iyer has not played a T20I for India since December 2023 and he doesn't play Tests as often as well, leaving him to be the ODI player for Men In Blue in internationals. His T20 numbers in IPL since, however, are staggering. Iyer made the switch from KKR to PBKS before IPL 2025 and below is how he has performed:
- Iyer (178.14) has third highest strike rate among batters with 500-plus runs since IPL 2025 - only behind Abhishek Sharma (197.9) and PBKS teammate Priyansh Arya (189.45).
- Iyer (53.8) also has third best average since IPL 2025 - only behind Virat Kohli (55.31) and Jos Buttler (54.92).
- Iyer (807 runs) is also fifth-highest run-getter since IPL 2025 behind Kohli (885), Sai Sudharsan (872), Suryakumar Yadav (823), and Shubman Gill (823).
Iyer has found it difficult to break into the Indian T20I set-up and rightfully so as the team is back-to-back winners of T20 World Cup (2024 & 2026), showing little room for drastic changes.
Trending Stories
)
Xi Jinping's new AI bloc: China launches 'World AI Body' with Pakistan and Russia in, India out
)
3.5-million-year-old mystery creature found in Japan is a 'giant' never seen before
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the S-400 uses solid rocket fuel instead of liquid fuel
)
Explained: Why Rodri won the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball over Lionel Messi
)
Japan is selling a refrigerator to cool the human body for Rs 9 lakh. It is already a hit in Tokyo
)
Revealed! The hidden ritual Marc Cucurella performed before Spain won the FIFA World Cup
)
Mumbai court gives life sentences to 44 Somali pirates despite mercy plea
)
US-Iran conflicts: Houthis announce maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia, Iran attacks MQ-9 drone hangar | Gravitas
)
‘Iran can survive sanctions, but can’t truly live’: Dy FM warns of economic cost of war
)
Sonam Wangchuk's connection with George Soros and Ford Foundation explained!
)
'There is no need for...': PM Modi takes a veiled dig at Rahul Gandhi, sends big message amid Parliament March
)
‘Netanyahu will not be arrested in any way, shape, or form in US’: Trump’s counter to Mamdani
)
FACT CHECK: Was Abhijit Dipke detained during CJP's Parliament march? Here's what police say
)
UP BTech gold medalist dies by suicide after failing in nearly 50 govt job attempts, leaves note for father
)
'Could be bombed at any moment': What Iran's Araghchi told Trump envoy Witkoff during negotiations
)
Jail over Khamenei post: J&K youth returns home after 3 months in Saudi custody
)
Salman Khan breaks silence on health concerns after viral Mumbai appearance
)
'George Soros playbook': Understanding the foreign funding network around Sonam Wangchuk
)
Indus treaty can no longer function in its current form, says India; plans 5,500 mw of new J&K hydro projects
)
Trump to impose 50% tariffs on Canadian goods, escalating North America trade dispute
)
Maha CM Wife Amruta Fadnavis' Yoga Day appearance sparks social media debate over attire | Watch
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
2026 FIFA World Cup awards: Full list of Golden Boot, Golden Ball, Golden Glove and every major winner
)
US-Iran war: Report suggests US lost 42 aircraft, including fighter jets, reaper drones
)
JD and Usha Vance welcome fourth child: Who serves as acting US vice president during Vance's paternity leave?
)
Heavy sanctions loom over Argentine players after ugly brawl following final whistle in World Cup final
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Spain World Cup victory parade in Madrid: Champions celebrate second FIFA World Cup title with over million fans
)
Truck loaded with stones, metro stations closed: What's happening at Jantar Mantar now
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why US fighter jets use seamless bubble canopies compared to Russian jets
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the F-22’s cockpit glass is thicker than a standard fighter jet
)
Student union leaders call off hunger strike at Jantar Mantar after civil society appeal, but protest continues
)
Tulsi Gabbard's brother Batarti accused of luring children to hotel room in Hawaii
)
'What is wrong...': Anna Hazare breaks silence on Sonam Wangchuk's protest, makes an appeal to Centre
Piyush Chawla, India's 2007 T20 and 2011 ODI World Cup winner, wants Iyer to lead
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, TimeOut after PBKS beat MI on Thursday (Apr 16) by 7 wickets, Piyush Chawla opined: "Well, for me, if I'm the selector, he definitely walks in. Because he's one of the better players in that middle order. And he has got that cricketing brain on his shoulder, he can actually lead this Indian squad. If you're looking in future, for me, he walks in definitely."
With the next T20 World Cup two years away, scheduled to be held in Australia, former Aussie skipper Aaron Finch also agreed with Chawla on the same show, and said: "The next one [T20 World Cup] is in Australia too, isn't it? Yes, more than two years. That provides different conditions again. So I think you're looking at guys who are good players not just in Indian conditions but all around the world. And particularly with some extra bounce as well. So Shreyas would definitely fall into that category."
