India vs Ireland 1st T20I Playing 11: Will Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Play? IND vs IRE Team News, Predicted Lineups

India are up against Ireland in the first of the two-match T20I series on Friday (June 26) in Belfast.

This marks India’s first assignment in the shortest format since their triumphant T20 World Cup 2026 campaign. With Shreyas Iyer taking over the captaincy reins from Suryakumar Yadav, the new team management faces a massive selection headache right out of the gate.

Expectations surrounding Vaibhav Sooryavanshi have hit a fever pitch. The teenager took the cricketing world by storm during IPL 2026, amassing a staggering 776 runs in 16 matches for the Rajasthan Royals and winning the Orange Cap. He followed up his extraordinary franchise success by smashing a breathtaking 29-ball 94 for India A against Sri Lanka A in Dambulla.

If Sooryavanshi takes the field in Belfast, he will shatter Sachin Tendulkar’s 36-year-old record (16 years and 205 days) to become the youngest player ever to represent the Indian men’s team in international cricket.

India vs Ireland Team News

For Ireland, Paul Stirling remains absent, Ross Adair and Stephen Doheny take up the opening duties. Meanwhile, new full-time skipper Lorcan Tucker anchors the innings at three.

Harry Tector remains Ireland’s key middle-order batter, with George Dockrell and Gareth Delany coming next. The bowling unit leans heavily on uncapped talent, with teenage prospect Reuben Wilson tipped for a maiden T20I cap alongside an inexperienced seam group led by Liam McCarthy.

For India, much of the buzz around Sooryavanshi’s rise has centred on the idea of him opening alongside Abhishek Sharma, giving India two left-handers capable of taking bowling attacks apart from the very first delivery.

Slotting in at number three is Sanju Samson, who was named Player of the Tournament during India’s World Cup triumph this year. Given how influential he was throughout that campaign, leaving him out feels almost impossible, even with someone like Ishan Kishan also enjoying a fantastic year across formats. For Sooryavanshi, this series can be a learning curve and a debut may not arrive immediately.

As the direct like-for-like option for Suryakumar’s old spot, Shreyas Iyer is expected to bat at number four, returning to T20I cricket after a three-year gap. Batting just after him will be his deputy, Tilak Varma, who recently led India A to tri-series glory in Sri Lanka.

India vs Ireland Predicted Playing 11

India: Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav

Ireland: Ross Adair, Stephen Doheny, Lorcan Tucker (C & WK), Harry Tector, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Tim Tector, Liam McCarthy, Gavin Hoey, Reuben Wilson
Jai Moondra