Shreyas Iyer was not included in the recently selected Asia Cup 2025 Squad. This move by Selectors headed by Ajit Agarkar took everyone by surprise as Shreyas’ comeback was on cards after terrific IPL 2025 leading Punjab Kings to first final after a decade.  Shreyas Iyer has not publicly commented on his exclusion, but his father Santosh Iyer while talking to times of India shared his frustration given his son’s strong performances. Iyer was also missing from India’s previous T20I squad for the three matches against England earlier this year in February. His last T20I appearance was in December 2023 against Australia, but much has changed since then.

Shreyas Iyer’s father, Santosh Iyer, openly expressed his frustration over his son’s continued exclusion from the Indian T20 team. “I don’t know what else Shreyas has to do to make it to the Indian T20 team. He has been performing so well in the IPL year after year, from Delhi Capitals to Kolkata Knight Riders to Punjab Kings, and that too as a captain. He even captained KKR to the IPL title in 2024, and led PBKS to the final this year. I’m not saying make him the Indian captain but at least select him in the team,” Santosh told The Times of India. He further added, “Even if he’s left out of the team, he doesn’t show dissent on his face. He’ll just say ‘Mera naseeb hai’ (It’s my luck). You can’t do anything now. He’s always cool and calm. He doesn’t blame anybody but deep inside, he must be naturally disappointed,” as qouted by TOI.

Iyer’s Credentials

Iyer, who has played 51 T20 Internationals for India and scored 1104 runs, has recently been omitted from the Indian squad for the Asia Cup, a decision that sparked widespread criticism. Not only was he left out of the main 15-member squad, but he was also excluded from the list of standby players.  Regarding Iyer’s absence, Ajit Agarkar explained that the Indian T20 batting order is highly competitive. He pointed out that if someone like Sanju Samson, who scored three centuries last year, struggles to secure a place now that Shubman Gill is the vice-captain, then it’s tough to find a spot for Iyer.

Santosh Iyer’s points are well-grounded. Besides his IPL exploits, Iyer recently captained Mumbai to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final, scoring 345 runs in nine matches and finishing as the fourth-highest run-getter. Additionally, his 604 runs for Punjab Kings during their run to the IPL 2025 final demonstrate his quality as a T20 batsman.

India’s squad for Asia Cup: Surya Kumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh

Standby players: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel