Ex-Australia wicket-keeper and Punjab Kings assistant coach Brad Haddin expressed his shock at Shreyas Iyer being left out of India's 15-member squad for the Asia Cup 2025. The 30-year-old batsman, who had played a crucial role in getting Punjab Kings to the IPL final, failed to make it to the announced squad by chief selector Ajit Agarkar. Haddin Questions Selectors' Call Featuring on the Willow Talk podcast, Haddin said that he was stunned by the choice. Haddin said: "Well, one, leadership qualities. Two, the style of player he is under pressure, and he's someone that everyone plays better with when he's on the team. I had no idea. I first thought when I was reading it that he was injured, but he's not. So, it's a strange decision for me because he brings so much to the game. I actually thought he was going to be captain. Extraordinary selection." Iyer's exclusion has raised controversy throughout the world of cricket. Plenty of people view him as among India's most consistent performers in pressure games. Also Read | India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2025 Match Gets Govt Nod Iyer's Recent Form and Reaction from Others In IPL 2025, Iyer accumulated 604 runs at a strike rate of 175.07, leading Punjab Kings to their second-ever final. Only a year ago, he had led Kolkata Knight Riders to the championship. His credentials as a leader and run-scorer from the past year make his exclusion surprising. The response was not restricted to Haddin. Alyssa Healy's initial words on the LiSTNR Sport podcast were, "Oh my God!" while host Adam Peacock humorously postulated it as "a Punjab conspiracy." Iyer has represented India in 51 T20Is, having scored 1104 runs at 30.66 with a strike rate of 136.12. His last appearance for the format had been in December 2023 against Australia. With India to start their Asia Cup campaign on September 9, his non-selection is being termed one of the most controversial choices in recent history. Also Read | Shreyas Iyer vs Shubman Gill: Who Should Be India’s Next ODI Captain? India Squad for Asia Cup 2025 Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (wk), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh Reserves: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal