The Indian Premier League is a lot of things to many people. But at the end of the day, it is a platform for India’s cricketers to showcase their talent and make the jump to the senior team.
The system in place in the IPL is now so well developed, it has turned into a guaranteed pathway to the senior national team. And by the looks of it, the process is working brilliantly, with India winning the last three ICC tournaments on the bounce – successive T20 World Cup titles and the 2025 Champions Trophy.
India recently defended their T20 world title but given the short shelf life in the format and regular churn, expecting the current Indian T20 team to retain its composition for the next set of international assignments would be foolhardy.
Many members of the current Indian T20 team – like captain Suryakumar Yadav, opener Abhishek Sharma and middle order bat Tilak Varma – have been suffering from indifferent form for some time.
Even on the bowling front, no one apart from Jasprit Bumrah has inspired a lot of confidence at the international or franchise level. That means a handful of positions will be up for grabs when the Indian team picks its next T20 squad.
Below we take a look at the players who have impressed in the IPL and should be considered for the national set-up.
Many in the list have already made their mark in international cricket but are not part of the main Indian T20 team as of now. India's next assignments are limited overs tours of Ireland and Zimbabwe in June and July.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
The Rajasthan Royals opening batter is just 15 but experts have been pushing for him to be fast-tracked to senior cricket for close to a year. Ever since he blasted a record century in last year’s IPL, Sooryavanshi’s stock has only risen. This season, he has been scoring at a scarcely believable strike rate of 263.
Chances are, Sooryavanshi will become the youngest Indian international cricketer this summer. There simply is no reason to make him wait, especially since current national team opener Abhishek has lost his touch and confidence almost completely.
Yashasvi Jaiswal
It is a travesty that the only Indian batter who warrants a spot in all formats has found himself almost forgotten at the international stage in white-ball cricket.
With a markedly better technique than many members of the national team, Jaiswal has come out all guns blazing in the IPL this season, forming a devastating opening partnership with Sooryavanshi. In five innings so far, Jaiswal has made 184 runs at a strike rate of 157. He should never have been away from the opening spot. Ideally, he should be a permanent opener with the rest rotating around him.
Shreyas Iyer
Many consider him the best Indian captain that the team does not have. A key member of India’s ODI team, Iyer is the absolute master of IPL.
After guiding Kolkata to the IPL title in 2024, he has transformed Punjab into one of the most lethal and popular franchises of the league. His calm batting and leadership stands out in a tournament where many other Indian captains are struggling to either bat or lead or both.
It would be India’s loss if he does not find a spot in the middle order. On merit, should take the place of Suryakumar, as batter and captain. A significant upgrade on Tilak Varma as well.
This season, Iyer has batted three times and scored 137 runs at a strike rate of 187.
Rajat Patidar
He is on the other side of 30 and has only played a handful of Tests and one ODI. But his T20 game this season has been top class.
Easily the most destructive batter against spin in the tournament, Patidar has raised his profile with his batting and captaincy to such a degree that RCB fans have started to view him as a leader on his own and not a sidekick of Virat Kohli.
He won the IPL last season and has given the fan base confidence to rally around the team and not just the runs of Kohli. An ideal replacement for Rinku Singh, who is woefully out of form.
Patidar has been in superb touch this season, smashing 195 runs in four innings at a stunning strike rate of 214.
Ashok Sharma
The biggest question facing the Indian team is – after Bumrah, who? The likes of Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana have not quite taken over the mantle from Bumrah, with all-rounder Hardik Pandya still seen as more reliable than many of the young pacers.
This IPL, one fast bowler has stood out for what he brings to the table – extreme pace. Gujarat Titans quick Ashok Sharma had been passed around from one franchise to the other for three years, before finally getting a break this season.
He delivered the fastest ball of the tournament, clocking in at 96mph. If a pacer can bowl consistently in the high 150kph range, international cricket is the most obvious next step.
Ravi Bishnoi
India are double T20 world champions but their spin bowling options have dwindled. Kuldeep Yadav seems to have lost his magic again, while Varun Chakravarthy now rarely has a quiet match, going for plenty regularly.
All-rounder Axar Patel is now the premier white-ball spinner in the national team, while one bowler India can consider going back to is leg-spinner Bishnoi.
Has changed his bowling action – namely run-up – and has nine wickets from five games at an economy of under 10. Has been significantly better than Kuldeep and Varun. A spirited fielder as well. Played almost 50 T20 Internationals for India before getting sidelined.
Shivang Kumar
Left-arm wrist spin is always an enticing option in T20 cricket. While wrist spin always carries the risk of leaking runs, it is one of the best wicket-taking options.
Sunrisers Hyderabad's spinner Shivang was the solitary wicket-taking weapon for his team at the start of the season, before they stumbled upon two in one game – pacer Sakib Hussain and Praful Hinge. Has a classic wrist spinner's action and can get genuine turn either side.
