&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "End of SKY era? Sanju Samson 'frontrunner' for India’s T20I captaincy ahead of UK tour – Report")
Indian wicketkeeper batter Sanju Samson has emerged as the frontrunner to replace Suryakumar Yadav as Team India’s new T20I captain ahead of the UK tour. Samson is the Chennai Super Kings’ latest recruit and their best performer thus far in IPL 2026. Having amassed over 400 runs in 10 contested matches, Samson is among the top five run-getters this season; however, it’s his past captaincy experience at Rajasthan Royals and experience batting at the top that keep him ahead of Shreyas Iyer as SKY’s potential replacement.
Per a Dainik Jagran report, the selectors are looking at Samson as the next T20I captain, and one of the significant reasons why his name is ahead of the previous frontrunner, Iyer, is only because of his presence in the Indian team, unlike Iyer’s, who last played a T20I in December 2023. Samson has been a regular part of India’s T20I setup since the 2024 T20 World Cup triumph, playing handy roles at the top.
Also read | IPL 2026: Shubman Gill’s brilliant 84 and Rashid Khan’s four-for power GT to dominant win over RR
His partnership with the ranked number one T20I batter Abhishek Sharma has transformed his game and India’s T20I cricket into an unbeatable force, which further saw them defend their T20 crown at home early this year. Samson smashed several hundreds while opening, and although he did bat in the middle overs during India’s Asia Cup win last year, he reinforced his place at the top during the home T20 WC.
During the 20-team tournament at home, Samson smashed three back-to-back fifties, including one in the final against New Zealand, helping the hosts score 255 for five - the highest score recorded in a T20 WC finale.
SKY to get an extended final run
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Per the report, the selectors are against dropping the T20 WC-winning captain SKY from the away UK tour; however, his captaincy status remains under discussion. Given his poor run with the bat, barring his only fifty (84* against the USA) during the T20 WC, the selectors are sure of replacing him should his T20I numbers not improve.
On the other hand, Iyer’s remarkable form since the last IPL, which continues this season too, including four successive fifties, saw him emerge as the only name to replace SKY; however, his absence from the T20I side, let alone considering him making a T20I captain right away, felt like a longer jump as of now.
Meanwhile, Iyer’s Punjab Kings are third on the points table with 13 points, including six wins and three losses.
