Shreyas Iyer Falls Victim To Gautam Gambhir’s Favouritism In Asia Cup 2025 Squad
Despite scoring 600+ IPL 2025 runs at 175 SR, Shreyas Iyer misses India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad; Gill and Jaiswal preferred.
Shreyas Iyer’s absence from India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad has surprised many fans. The former Kolkata Knight Riders skipper, who also led Punjab Kings to the IPL final this year, was not even named among the standbys.
Iyer had a stellar IPL 2025 season. Playing for Punjab Kings, he scored over 600 runs at a strike rate of 175.07. It was the third-best strike rate for any batter with 600-plus runs in a single IPL season, only behind Chris Gayle in 2011 and Suryakumar Yadav in 2023. Despite such numbers, he finds himself out of India’s T20 plans.
What makes the decision more puzzling is the inclusion of players who were earlier thought to be restricted to other formats. Shubman Gill, largely seen as a Test and ODI batter, has been picked not only in the squad but also named vice-captain for the Asia Cup. Meanwhile, Yashasvi Jaiswal, who struggled for runs this season, has been included as a standby player.
Iyer’s omission has once again sparked debate over selection choices. A player who guided two IPL teams to finals and piled up runs at a blistering pace has been ignored, while others with modest T20 records continue to find a place.
India’s selectors may have opted for a younger setup or a specific strategy, but leaving out an in-form Shreyas Iyer, even from the reserves, will be hard for fans to understand.
