When Did Shreyas lyer Last Play T201 Before Ireland Tour 2026?

The Indian men’s cricket team began its T20I campaign with a two-match series against Ireland in Belfast, which got underway on June 26.

India have reshaped their T20 squad by bringing in fresh faces while keeping the core of the side intact. One of the biggest decisions during this transition was naming a new T20I captain in Shreyas Iyer.

Shreyas Iyer has taken over from ICC T20 World Cup-winning captain Suryakumar Yadav as both player and skipper. His stint as T20I captain started in the opening game against Ireland at the Civil Service Cricket Club in Belfast on Friday, June 26. The match also marked the right-hander’s return to the T20I side after nearly two and a half years.

Shreyas Iyer’s Return to the T20I Side

Shreyas Iyer actually hasn’t played a T20I since December 3, 2023. His last outing was against Australia at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, where he turned up with a solid performance. He scored a fifty in that game and finished as India’s top scorer. The match came during Australia’s tour of India, where the hosts comfortably won the five-match T20I series 4-1.

In recent years, the right-handed batsman has produced one of the most impressive campaigns both as a captain and as a batter. His achievements include single-handedly piloting the Kolkata Knight Riders to their cherished third IPL championship in 2024, followed by an impressive turnaround campaign where he anchored the Punjab Kings to only their second-ever IPL final appearance.

The IPL 2025 was actually Shreyas Iyer’s standout year. He completely lit up the tournament by smashing over 600 runs and anchoring the middle order. He was the absolute backbone of the Punjab Kings’ incredible run, proving yet again why he’s been one of the most dependable anchors in the league for years.

Iyer Earns His Way Back

There came a stage when it became difficult to leave a player like Shreyas Iyer out of the T20I side. He was selected in squads on several occasions but could not break into the playing XI.

Iyer eventually made his return to the team after his brilliant displays in IPL 2026. He ended as Punjab Kings’ second-highest run-scorer, collecting 498 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 168.81.

The right-hander smashed one hundred and five half-centuries during the season. Following India’s T20 World Cup 2026 triumph, the team management backed Iyer to take over the captaincy from Suryakumar Yadav.

It is worth noting that at 31 years and 202 days, Iyer became the third-oldest Indian to make his T20I captaincy debut. He is returning to the T20I format after nearly two and a half years, but this time he has come back not just as a player, but as the captain of the side.

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Shreyas Iyer Wins Toss on Captaincy Debut

Shreyas Iyer won the toss and decided to bowl first. India kept the same top order that featured in the T20 World Cup 2026. Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma continued as the opening pair, while Ishan Kishan slotted in at No. 3.

Iyer was expected to bat at No. 4, with vice-captain Tilak Varma and all-rounders Shivam Dube, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar to follow. The pace attack consisted of Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana.

Unfortunately, India lost the first T20I match under Iyer’s captaincy, giving Ireland their first-ever international win over the Men in Blue. But while the debut loss in Belfast wasn’t ideal, Iyer made it clear that there’s a lot to learn from the batting collapse and that they’re ready to flip the script on Sunday.

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