Following the conclusion of IPL 2026, the Indian T20 squad will travel to Ireland and England. However, prior to this, discussions regarding the selection of a new T20 captain have gained traction, mainly due to the poor performance of current T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav. Despite leading his side to victory in the ICC T20 World Cup two months ago, Surya failed to make many contributions with the bat, whereas Sanju Samson bagged the Player of the Tournament title.

According to former India head coach Ravi Shastri, top-form Indian batter Sanju Samson can emerge as a prime candidate for India's T20 captaincy. During an interview with Sanjana Ganesan on 'The ICC Review,' Shastri revealed that India could require a fresh captain heading into the 2028 T20 World Cup. This will depend on Surya's performance over the next few years.

He said that Sanju Samson has established himself as a strong contender for the captaincy role, having previously played this role for Rajasthan Royals. His place in the Indian T20 team is solid. He plays in the top order and is a very aggressive batsman. So, I think this is just the beginning. You will see a lot more from Sanju in the next two to three years.

It's worth noting that Samson captained Rajasthan Royals in the IPL for five seasons, including the 2022 season, when the team finished runner-up. Samson is currently in the best form of his career in international cricket. He scored three consecutive half-centuries during India's T20 World Cup-winning campaign.

In the past, many questions have been raised about Samson's consistency, but Shastri believes that's no longer an issue. He said, "I think Samson has completely put an end to all those questions. He never lacked talent. In fact, people would have been disappointed because he couldn't do justice to his potential."

Shastri concluded by saying that the way Samson has played this season, following his performance in the T20 World Cup, he almost single-handedly won India several matches. Quarter-finals (West Indies, Super 8), semi-finals, finals and the way he handled the responsibility and the maturity he is showing now in the IPL, I think he is a strong contender for the captaincy in the future.