India’s new T20I era starts not with a fanfare at the Wankhede or Eden Gardens, but on a cool June evening in Belfast, Ireland. The BCCI selectors met in Mumbai on Saturday, June 6, and announced the squad for the two-match T20I series against Ireland scheduled for June 26 and 28.
Two massive stories dominated this announcement: Shreyas Iyer becoming India’s new T20I captain, and 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi getting his first senior India call up, making him the youngest player ever selected for the Indian men’s team, breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s long-standing record.
The biggest talking point in the selection meeting was the appointment of Shreyas Iyer as India’s newest T20I captain, replacing T20 World Cup 2026-winning captain Suryakumar Yadav. Suryakumar Yadav was not only sacked as captain but was also dropped from the T20I squad altogether due to poor form.
India T20I Squad for Ireland 2026 (Official, Confirmed)
Batters:
- Shreyas Iyer (Captain)
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (Debut call up, youngest ever India player)
- Abhishek Sharma
- Sanju Samson (WK)
- Ishan Kishan (WK)
- Shivam Dube
- Tilak Varma (Vice-Captain)
All-Rounders:
- Nitish Kumar Reddy
- Axar Patel
- Washington Sundar
Spinners:
- Varun Chakravarthy
- Ravi Bishnoi
Pacers:
- Arshdeep Singh
- Mohammed Siraj
- Harshit Rana
Notable Exclusions: Jasprit Bumrah (rested), Hardik Pandya (rested), Rinku Singh (dropped), Kuldeep Yadav (dropped), Suryakumar Yadav (dropped, also removed as captain), Prince Yadav (confirmed in England squad, Ireland status unclear from reports)
Shreyas Iyer Chosen as India T20I Captain After SKY
Shreyas Iyer’s India captaincy is not an overnight development. He proved his mettle over years in the IPL. Starting with Delhi Capitals in 2018, he led them to their maiden IPL final in 2020. He then guided Kolkata Knight Riders to the 2024 title, becoming the fifth Indian captain to win the IPL. In 2025, captaining Punjab Kings, he took them to the final, making him the only skipper to lead three different franchises to IPL finals.
Tilak Varma has been named vice-captain for this new era.
Sanju Samson is expected to open the batting alongside Sooryavanshi.
The combination of youth and experience in this squad is exciting for Indian fans.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi First India Call Up
This is the selection that has the entire cricket world buzzing. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is set to become the youngest cricketer to get selected in the Indian men’s squad. He will break the record of Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar, who got his first call up for India when he was just 16 years and 205 days old.
Who is this boy? Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was born on 27 March 2011 in Samastipur, Bihar. He is a left-handed top-order batter who plays for Bihar in domestic cricket and for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.
His story is nothing short of extraordinary. At just 14, he became the youngest debutant in IPL history at 14 years and 23 days, and the youngest centurion at 14 years and 32 days, with a breathtaking 101 off 38 balls against Gujarat Titans. His century came off just 35 balls, the second fastest in IPL history.
Then in IPL 2026, he went to a completely different level. He scored 776 runs and won the Orange Cap, and set a new record for the most sixes in a single season. He ended up with 72 sixes to his name in IPL 2026, the highest by any batter in a single season. Sooryavanshi also won the Orange Cap, MVP, and Emerging Player awards in IPL 2026, becoming the first player to win both MVP and Emerging Player in the same season.
And he already has international experience at the age group level. He guided India U19 to World Cup glory in early 2026, where he scored a record-breaking 175 off just 80 balls in the final against England U19, the highest individual score in a U19 World Cup final.
Ireland, with its overcast skies and seaming conditions, is considered a smart call to hand Sooryavanshi his debut rather than throwing him into a high-pressure bilateral against a top side. If he goes out there and plays his natural game, Belfast could be the city where a legend is born.
India vs Ireland 2026 Full Schedule and Match Timings in IST
Both matches will be held at Stormont Cricket Ground on June 26 and June 28, starting at 3:00 PM local time, which is 7:30 PM IST.
- 1st T20I: June 26, Stormont Cricket Ground, Belfast. Start time 7:30 PM IST.
- 2nd T20I: June 28, Stormont Cricket Ground, Belfast. Start time 7:30 PM IST.
Toss will happen 30 minutes before match time, so around 7:00 PM IST.
India vs Ireland 2026: Where to Watch Live in India
The series will be broadcast live in India on Star Sports 1 and Star Sports 1 HD. Online streaming will be on the JioStar app, which is the renamed Disney Plus Hotstar. Just open the JioStar app on your phone, search for IND vs IRE, and you can watch it live.
Hindi commentary will also be available on Star Sports 1 Hindi.
This will be India’s first T20I assignment since winning the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, where they defeated New Zealand in the final in Ahmedabad on March 8. So this series is essentially the beginning of India’s post-World Cup rebuild, with a fresh captain and the most exciting teenager in world cricket making his debut.
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Lucky Raina is a complete cricket writer chasing corporate dreams by day and cricket stories by night. Once a promising Under 16 cricketer, life took him down a different pitch but the love for the game never left.
