Shreyas Iyer’s exclusion from India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad has been one of the most discussed topics since the BCCI announced the team. The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee named a list of 15 players and kept five players on standby.
While Iyer was snubbed from the squad, Shubman Gill returned to India’s T20I side and was also named as the vice-captain of the side. Questions have also been raised at this decision by the team management.
Iyer’s exclusion has taken everyone by surprise. The Indian batter took two different teams to the IPL final in back to back seasons of the IPL. He led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their third IPL title in 2024 and then led Punjab Kings to an IPL title after more than a decade.
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Shreyas Iyer Must Be Really Disappointed - Ajinkya Rahane
Shreyas Iyer scored over 600 runs in the last edition of the IPL, proving his credentials as a T20I batter as well. This comes after he was the highest run-getter for India and the second-highest overall in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Now veteran Indian batter Ajinkya Rahane has also spoken in favour of Iyer, saying that it was tough to drop him after his recent record in the format.
“I'm sure he (Shreyas Iyer) must be really disappointed considering the kind of IPL he had. It was a fantastic season. Even in domestic cricket, especially in the 50-over format, he has performed really well whenever given opportunities. I can completely understand the team management’s point of view, since they can only pick 15 players and need to see the balance of the team,” Rahane said on his YouTube channel.
He further urged the management to have proper communication with Shreyas Iyer regarding his role in India’s T20I side in the future.
“The only thing I want to see and I want to know is that a proper communication from selectors and team management with Shreyas. He’s an important member of the team and I’m sure in the coming years or in the future he’s going to be part of the T20 format as well. So communication is the key from the selectors to Shreyas Iyer,” he added.
Also Read: Asia Cup 2025: Harbhajan Singh slams Agarkar for not selecting two X-factor cricketers
Iyer Not Even Included In Reserves
Iyer was not only snubbed from India’s main Asia Cup squad, he was also not included in India’s reserves for the squad that has the likes of Dhruv Jurel despite Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma being the two keepers in India’s main squad. Fans highlighted that Iyer should have been included instead of Jurel in the reserves.
India Squad for Asia Cup 2025
Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.
Standby Players: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Yashasvi Jaiswal.
