India’s Squad Asia Cup 2025: Shreyas Iyer has not been picked in India’s squad for the Asia Cup 2025 in the UAE. The tournament starts on September 9, and India will play its first match on September 10. The Asia Cup will also begin India’s preparation for the T20 World Cup in February 2026.
India’s chief selector, Ajit Agarkar, spoke about the decision. He said, “It’s no fault of his. Tell me who he can replace? At the moment, he will have to wait for his chance.”
Shreyas Iyer’s Strong T20 Form in IPL and Domestic Cricket
The exclusion is surprising. Iyer has been in brilliant T20 form in the past two years. He was the star of IPL 2025, playing for Punjab Kings. He scored over 600 runs at a strike rate of 175.07. That was the third-best strike rate for any batter with 600-plus runs in a single IPL season. Only Chris Gayle in 2011 and Suryakumar Yadav in 2023 were ahead of him.
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Iyer’s batting against spin has been outstanding. Many experts see him as one of the most reliable middle-order players in T20 cricket.
Apart from the IPL, Iyer has also done well in other leagues and tournaments. He captained Kolkata Knight Riders to their first IPL title in 10 years in 2024. He then led Mumbai to victory in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He also guided SoBo Mumbai Falcons to the final of the Mumbai T20 League.
In IPL 2025, Iyer captained Punjab Kings to the final. Even though they lost, his leadership and batting won praise.
His success has not been limited to T20 cricket. He was part of Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy win in 2023-24. He also played in the Irani Cup victory. This year, he was an important member of India’s Champions Trophy winning team.
Despite all these achievements, Iyer has to wait for another chance with the Indian team. The selectors have made it clear that competition for batting spots is very tough.
India Asia Cup 2025 Squad
Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy.