The Board of Control for Cricket in India BCCI announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025 on Tuesday, with Suryakumar Yadav set to lead and Shubman Gill to be his deputy. Notably, the omission of Shreyas Iyer became one of the most talked-about points from the squad announcement. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar addressed the media along with Suryakumar and explained why the in-form batter was left out despite a strong IPL 2025 season.
Iyer's exclusion was surprising given his recent form. The right-hander scored 604 runs at a strike rate of 175 in IPL 2025, leading Punjab Kings to the final and proving his ability to dominate in the shortest format of the game. However, Agarkar made it clear that Iyer's absence was not due to poor form.
The chief selector stressed that the competition for the spot is extremely high, especially in the middle order, where India already has Suryakumar, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, and Jitesh Sharma.