With IPL 2026 nearing its finish, just three matches are left before the league stage run comes to an end, and only one more game remains for the finalists—Royal Challengers Bengaluru. For many players and selectors, the countdown is already turning into the next phase of the calendar: international cricket. As the season winds down, the usual frenzy around batting, strike-rates and match-winning hits will start to quiet down—though it won’t be long before fans turn their attention back to the next IPL. In the background, the BCCI has already named India’s squads for the upcoming Test and ODI assignments, while the T20I group is still being worked out. With a new T20 World Cup cycle also beginning—one that will feature cricket returning to the Olympics—the stakes around selection are higher than usual, and every standout domestic performance is being treated like a direct audition.
IPL 2026 has opened up several pathways for India’s next T20I squad, and one of the loudest statements arrived on Tuesday night. Rajat Patidar moved sharply into the national conversation by producing one of the most outrageous innings in the tournament’s history. In Qualifier 1 against Gujarat Titans, he remained unbeaten on 93 off only 33 deliveries, steering RCB to a daunting total of 254 for five. The innings didn’t just shift momentum in the match—it sparked instant calls from former India players and cricket observers who believe his form is too significant to ignore for the T20I set-up.
Aakash Chopra, the former India batter, was among the first to publicly push for Patidar’s inclusion, writing that Rajat Patidar should be playing T20 internationals for India soon. Ambati Rayudu went even further, suggesting that Patidar now belongs in the small group of players around whom India ought to build its future T20I plans. Rayudu explained that there are only a couple of names he would prioritise at the start, and Patidar is firmly in that bracket. He also added that Patidar must be part of India’s T20 squad, leaving no room for doubt about the direction he feels the team should take.
When Rayudu was asked whether he believes Patidar could potentially take over Suryakumar Yadav’s role in India’s T20I plans, his answer was direct: “Yes, of course.” That comparison is significant because Suryakumar has been one of the most influential modern T20 middle-order batters for India, known for his ability to turn games with quick scoring from the middle overs. Yet Patidar’s current run has forced conversations to broaden—particularly as India looks ahead to the next T20 World Cup cycle and the captaincy and batting combinations that will be required for that journey.
There’s a clear reason Patidar’s name is being repeated so often this week. This has comfortably been his best IPL season to date. For the first time in his career, he crossed the 400-run mark, finishing the tournament so far with 486 runs after his explosive Qualifier 1 knock at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala. Even more striking is the way he has produced those numbers in an era where top-order batters have often dominated the headlines. In the Orange Cap standings, Patidar currently ranks among the leading run-getters and remains only the second middle-order batter within the top 15, alongside Heinrich Klaasen.
Patidar’s impact is visible not just in volume, but in pace of scoring. His strike rate in IPL 2026 stands at 196.76, and he has hit 41 sixes — the third-most in the season. Ahead of him are Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who has struck 53 maximums, and Abhishek Sharma, who has 43. Those figures underline why the innings against Gujarat Titans is being treated as more than a one-off: it fits the broader story of a campaign in which Patidar has consistently taken the game deep while also accelerating at high speed when RCB needs momentum.
All of this naturally raises the question of whether Suryakumar Yadav’s place in the India T20I set-up could face pressure. With returns in the format declining—especially after a disappointing IPL 2026 campaign—debate has intensified around Suryakumar’s future, including how his role may evolve within India’s T20 plans. Even though Suryakumar has recently stated that he is not thinking about retirement and still sees himself playing in the 2028 T20 World Cup, the recent numbers are difficult to brush aside. At the same time, IPL 2026 has produced several alternative options who are making a strong case through consistent performances, and Patidar is only the latest example.
Beyond Patidar, Shreyas Iyer has also started to look like a credible candidate for India’s next T20I direction. His name has come up not only because of his ability to fit into the No. 4 role, but also because he could be considered for future leadership in the format following another encouraging IPL season. As speculation continues to build about India’s T20I plans, the expectation is that clarity will come soon, with the national team scheduled to tour England for a five-match T20I series later in the year. That trip will likely become the next major checkpoint for selectors—and for players trying to cement their claims before the T20 calendar moves into its next high-stakes cycle.
