‘Not his fault, nor it is ours’: Ajit Agarkar on Shreyas Iyer’s omission from India's Asia Cup squad

Ajit Agarkar explains why Shreyas Iyer couldn't make it to the Asia Cup squad of India. (Photo: ICC and X)

BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar announced the 15-man Asia Cup 2025 squad on Tuesday. The exclusion of Shreyas Iyer, despite his incredible IPL 2025 form in which he not only amassed a ton of runs but also led Punjab Kings to the final, was one of the main discussion points. Shreyas had to be left out as the selection committee decided to include captain Suryakumar Yadav in the middle order along with Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, and Shivam Dube.

In December 2023, Shreyas played his last Twenty20 International, helping India defeat Australia with a brilliant half-century. Despite leading the Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL championship that year, he was left off of the 2024 T20 World Cup squad.

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Iyer's exclusion was explained in detail by chief selector Agarkar, who emphasized that neither he nor the panel was at fault. According to him, the committee decided on a combination that best met the requirements of the competition.

"With regards to Shreyas, I mean, you need to tell him who he can replace. No fault of his, nor is it ours. It's just that we have to pick 15 at the moment, he'll have to wait for his chance," Agarkar said in the press conference.

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Iyer made his comeback to the ODI team earlier this year during the England series, and he later played a crucial part in India's Champions Trophy victory. With 243 runs in five innings at an average of 48.60, including two half-centuries, he became the team's top run scorer and the second-highest overall in the competition.

Shreyas had his greatest season and finished as the sixth-highest run scorer in the IPL, continuing his incredible form. With an average of 50.33, a strike rate of 175.07, and six fifties, the Punjab Kings captain scored 604 runs in 17 games and innings. PBKS lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by six runs, but he was instrumental in leading the team to their first IPL final since 2014.

From September 9 to September 28, Dubai and Abu Dhabi will host the Asia Cup. On September 10, India will play the hosts, the United Arab Emirates, in Dubai to begin their campaign. On September 14, they will play their bitter rivals, Pakistan, at the same venue. On September 19, in Abu Dhabi, they will play their final group-stage encounter against Oman.