Shreyas Iyer snubbed for Asia Cup 2025, despite stellar IPL season; What else does he need to prove?

Asia Cup 2025: Top reasons why Shreyas Iyer was dropped from India’s squad despite a stellar IPL Season.

On a day that should have been about optimism for India cricket, the announcement of a 15-man squad for the 2025 Asia Cup came with an unmistakable undercurrent of dismay. 

Shreyas Iyer, recently hailed as ‘Sarpanch Sahab’, one of the nation’s most consistent and dynamic middle-order batters, a proven IPL leader, and a player in the form of his life, did not find a place in the squad announced today. 

The omission has surely left fans and experts questioning, perhaps for the umpteenth time: What more could Shreyas Iyer possibly do to secure a return to India T20I lineup?

Red-hot numbers but stone-cold snub
Numbers, they say, don’t lie. If so, Shreyas Iyer must feel like the unluckiest accountant alive.

Take his IPL 2025 campaign for instance; leading Punjab Kings, he amassed 604 runs in 17 matches at a strike rate of 175.07, cracking six fifties, running chases like a seasoned mathematician, and guiding his side to the final. Experts like Sunil Gavaskar and Aakash Chopra also pointed out his sharp captaincy beyond numbers, the tactical tweaks, the bowling changes, the ice-cool composure.

But his form wasn’t confined to the IPL glitz. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Iyer racked up 345 runs at a strike rate of 188.52, essentially batting as if boundaries were on discount. And let’s not forget the Champions Trophy 2025, where he finished as India’s highest run-scorer with 243 runs.

“Shreyas Iyer needs to be spoken about because when we were watching the Champions Trophy, no India player was better than him in the middle overs. He was the guy who was taking the attack to the opposition. He was the guy who was hitting boundaries whenever he wished, and removing the pressure on the batter at the other end,” Akash Chopra had said on his YouTube channel.

If selectors claim IPL form matters, he’s ticked that box. If domestic tournaments matter, tick again. If international pressure matters, tick thrice. If leadership matters, well, Punjab Kings went from underachievers to finalists under his command, while he also led Kolkata Knight Riders to victory in IPL 2024. 

Read More: Asia Cup 2025: Shubman Gill drafted in as vice captain; Shreyas Iyer given the snub

Agarkar’s explanation
When the inevitable question arose, “Why no Shreyas Iyer?”, chief selector Ajit Agarkar said, “No fault of his. He just has to wait for his chance. You tell me, who will you replace him with?”

It was a neat sidestep. But it also begged another question: if a batter who scores 600-plus runs in the IPL, dominates the SMAT, top-scores for India in a global tournament, and captains with success still has to wait, then what exactly is the criteria? 

Competition inside the squad
Compounding the bewilderment around Iyer’s exclusion is the profile of players who found places ahead of him. The Asia Cup squad features Suryakumar Yadav as captain, Shubman Gill as vice-captain, and established names like Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, and keeper-batters Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma. 

Each is a worthy talent, and some are match-winners in their own right. The squad also sees young names like Abhishek Sharma in the mix. But therein lies the rub. For almost everyone else, IPL form or a burst of promise has been a ticket in. For Iyer, it somehow doesn’t work that way. 

Read More: Is there a need to fit in Shubman Gill & Shreyas Iyer in India’s already settled T20I unit?

Off-field politics?
According to many cricket experts, selections are often influenced by factors outside the boundary. Shreyas Iyer might be knowing this firsthand. Not long ago, he was dropped from BCCI’s central contract list, a move steeped in controversy and linked to his reported reluctance to play domestic red-ball cricket while nursing a back injury. 

After being told by the National Cricket Academy (NCA) he was match-fit, Iyer cited discomfort and prioritised IPL and white-ball formats, leading to claims of miscommunication and triggering a politics-laden standoff with administrators.

Add to that the Gautam Gambhir subplot. Iyer had led KKR to a title and two finals before, but once Gambhir returned in a senior leadership role, Iyer wasn’t retained. He himself admitted he felt under-appreciated, while Gavaskar bluntly noted how credit for KKR’s revival seemed disproportionately handed elsewhere.

Now, are these off-field threads directly tied to his Asia Cup omission? Cannot be confirmed though.

Experts and exasperation
Former cricketers, commentators, and fans have been almost unanimous in their bafflement. Abhishek Nayar, while speaking on Star Sports, summed it up crisply: “How is he not even among the reserves?” He went on to hint that sometimes it comes down to preference, who’s more liked. Gavaskar, too, has often spoken about how little recognition Iyer receives for his tactical nous.

Why always Shreyas Iyer?
There is no easy answer, and the pattern is hard to ignore. For a player who has thrived in tough situations, adapted to roles across formats, and proven himself time and again, why does the door slam shut every time at the eleventh hour? 

Where does Shreyas Iyer go from here? If his class, calm, and consistency are anything to go by, he will do what he has always done – keep playing, keep performing, and keep silencing doubters. With the T20 World Cup next year and the prospect of changes as form dips, there will be opportunities. 

Suryakumar Yadav may be approaching the latter part of his international career, and the need for a proven leader and middle-order cornerstone could become urgent. 

When that time comes, who better than Iyer, a man who has transformed the fortunes of every franchise he’s led, who has won matches under pressure, and who has shown a temperament befitting an India skipper?

Read More: Essentials India must focus on to defend their title in T20 World Cup 2026