Shreyas Iyer, the captain of Punjab Kings, is currently leading the IPL 2026 points table and has made significant contributions with three half-centuries. Despite his impressive form, including a remarkable IPL 2025 season where he scored 604 runs at an average of 50.33 and a strike rate of 175.07, he remains sidelined from the Indian T20I team. Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar highlighted this 'unfair' treatment on the Sportstar's Insight Edge podcast, stating that Iyer's performances should warrant his inclusion. Manjrekar also suggested that Iyer could be a viable captaincy option, especially with the Indian team needing to build a larger player pool to manage overlapping international commitments later this year. The BCCI is looking to compile a 30-35 player pool for T20 matches, reflecting the growing influence of IPL talents like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal, while also considering experienced players like Ravi Bishnoi and Khaleel Ahmed for the bowling department. The selectors are under pressure to ensure competitive teams as India prepares for both the Asian Games and a T20 series against the West Indies.