Sanju Samson captain of India — two months ago, this would have read as wishful thinking from Kerala cricket fans. Today, according to a Dainik Jagran report, Samson is the frontrunner to replace Suryakumar Yadav as India’s T20I captain for the upcoming series against Ireland and England. Not Shreyas Iyer. Not Axar Patel. Sanju Samson.
And if you have watched any cricket in 2026, it is not hard to see why.
Why Sanju Samson Is The Leading Candidate To Replace SKY
The numbers alone make the case. Samson was named Player of the Tournament at the T20 World Cup 2026 after scoring 321 runs in just five innings at a strike rate of 199.37 — and he was not even in the starting XI for the first four matches. When he came in against Zimbabwe, then the West Indies, then England in the semi-final, then New Zealand in the final, he delivered three consecutive match-winning fifties that carried India to a historic third title. His unbeaten 97 off 50 balls against the West Indies remains the defining innings of the tournament.
Since the World Cup, Samson has carried that form straight into IPL 2026 for Chennai Super Kings. In 10 matches, he has 402 runs at an average of 57.43 and a strike rate of 167.50, with two centuries and a fifty. He has been CSK’s best batter by a distance in a season where the franchise has struggled.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir has been publicly effusive about Samson’s ability. After the World Cup final, Gambhir praised his “character and courage,” noting that Samson walked into must-win matches knowing his career could be on the line and played with complete freedom regardless. “He can win a game in the first six overs,” Gambhir said during the tournament. That level of backing from the head coach matters enormously in selection discussions.
Why Suryakumar Yadav’s Captaincy Is Under Threat
Suryakumar led India to the World Cup title, and that cannot be taken away from him. But Gambhir himself made a telling distinction during the tournament, saying “SKY wasn’t a captain, but a leader” — suggesting the tactical captaincy was a collective effort rather than SKY’s individual strength.
The bigger problem is form. Suryakumar has managed just 195 runs in 10 IPL 2026 matches at an average of 19.52 — a continuation of a batting decline that started during the World Cup itself, where his 242 runs in nine innings came at a modest average. If captaincy is meant to guarantee your place in the XI, SKY’s current output does not justify that guarantee. The BCCI selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, is reportedly monitoring the situation closely.
What About Shreyas Iyer or Rajat Patidar?
Iyer’s name surfaced first in captaincy reports, and on paper, his credentials are strong: he led KKR to their third IPL title and has taken Punjab Kings to their first final in a decade this season. Similarly, Rajat Patidar is on a T20 high for RCB and led them to a title win too.
But the BCCI’s reported objection is simple and hard to argue against: Neither Iyer nor Patidar has played a T20I recently. Handing the captaincy to someone who has not been part of the squad even as a player is a leap the selectors are reportedly unwilling to make.
Samson, by contrast, was in the World Cup squad two months ago and won the Player of the Tournament award. The recency advantage is decisive.
Can Sanju Samson Lead India?
The captaincy record is mixed but not discouraging. Samson led Rajasthan Royals in 67 IPL matches, winning 33 and taking them to the playoffs twice (2022 and 2024, including the 2022 final). For Kerala in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he captained in 38 matches with 22 wins. Importantly, his batting does not suffer under the weight of leadership; his numbers as captain are consistent with his overall career averages. Moreover, Samson’s on-field decision making has often earned praise in the IPL.
What Samson lacks is international captaincy experience. He has never led India in any format. But that was true of Suryakumar before the Sri Lanka series in 2024, and it was true of Rohit Sharma before the 2017 Nidahas Trophy. First-time captains are not unprecedented, and Samson’s temperament in high-pressure moments, as the World Cup proved, is not in question.
The Ireland series in June and the five-match T20I series in England in July offer the perfect window to hand Samson the reins, either as vice-captain initially under SKY, or as the outright captain if the BCCI decides the transition needs to happen now.
Follow all latest cricket news and updates here on The Dakia.
