The absence of the highly effective Shreyas Iyer from the team has been one of the main talking points. Even among the five reserve players selected for the continental tournament, the Mumbai batter has failed to secure a spot. A portion of the cricket community has criticised some of the surprising choices made by the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee ever since India announced a 15-man roster for the forthcoming Asia Cup in September.
Despite regularly making runs for Mumbai and Punjab Kings in white-ball cricket, Shreyas must be devastated to have been left out of the Asia Cup squad, according to former India Test captain Ajinkya Rahane.
Given the type of IPL he had, I’m sure Shreyas Iyer is really upset. The season was amazing. When given the chance, he has excelled in domestic cricket as well, particularly in the 50-over format. Since the club management can only select 15 players and must consider the squad’s balance, I absolutely understand their perspective,” Rahane stated on his YouTube page.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav and head selector Ajit Agarkar spoke to the media after choosing the team. The decision to exclude Shreyas from the team was questioned by the former India bowler. He expressed regret that the Mumbai hitter had to be excluded, but the selectors were only allowed to choose 15 players, and they were unable to include him.
It’s regrettable once more in regards to Shreyas. Tell me who in this squad he can replace. He must currently wait for his chances because only 15 players may be selected, which is neither his nor our responsibility,” Agarkar clarified.
In the future, Shreyas Iyer will play in the T20 format: Rahane
In the near future, Rahane thinks Shreyas will return to the T20 team. The 37-year-old hopes that Shreyas and the selectors have been in clear communication regarding their intentions to include him in T20 cricket.
“The only thing I’d like to see or know is that Shreyas and the selectors and team management are communicating with him properly.” He is a valuable team player, and I have no doubt that he will feature in the T20 format in the years to come. Thus, communication between Shreyas Iyer and the selectors is crucial,” he continued.
In the IPL 2025, Shreyas had an outstanding season with the Punjab Kings, scoring 604 runs from 17 games at an average of 50.33 and a strike rate of 175.07. Only two captains have guided Punjab to the IPL final, including him.
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