IPL 2025 was expected to be the perfect stage for players aiming to secure a spot in India’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad. Although the tournament is still nine months away, there's no better audition than the IPL. While young players maintain the momentum in India's T20 team, one experience-laden name is making its way back. Shreyas Iyer is staging a powerful comeback in a format that seemed to have moved past him much before. But now he has altered his game, and let's just say, he is impossible to ignore. On Sunday, Iyer gave one indication more to the selectors with an aggressive innings of 25 balls for 45. He wasn’t chasing milestones just doing his job with four boundaries and two big sixes plundered off Lucknow Super Giants. Whoever has argued that the short ball is his weakness has had to eat their words; this season, the short ball simply has not worked against him. Today, he faces it confidently, as was apparent in PBKS vs LSG at Dharamshala. Iyer had a point to demonstrate-the money was not enough for retaining him by Karnataka, which he had propelled to the IPL title the previous year. Punjab Kings went ahead and bought him for Rs 26.75 Cr.. Whereas Rishabh Pant has been weary with his price tag, Iyer has remained undaunted in front of others. He has smashed away 405 runs at a strike rate of 180.80 from 11 IPL matches thus far in the year 2025. Only Nicholas Pooran and PBKS teammate Priyansh Arya possess a better strike rate. Being just 114 runs short of his career-best IPL season, this should be well within his grasp. With PBKS cruising towards the playoffs, Iyer should have at least four more innings to obliterate that mark. Shreyas Iyer's Performance so far: 97* off 42 vs Gujarat Titans 52* off 30 vs Lucknow Super Giants 10 off 5 vs Rajasthan Royals 9 off 7 vs Chennai Super Kings 82 off 36 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad 0 off 2 vs Kolkata Knight Riders 7 off 10 vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru 6 off 10 vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru 25* off 16 vs Kolkata Knight Riders 72 off 41 vs Chennai Super Kings 45 off 25 vs Lucknow Super Giants India will be able to play 23 T20Is before the T20 World Cup of 2026. While the IND vs BAN T20 series in August is uncertain, at least 20 matches will definitely take place before the big event. Read also: 'Remember the name': Suryakumar Yadav's post for Ayush Mhatre goes viral Iyer obviously fits with the new aggressive scheme of T20 cricket in India. Of course, the selectors will be observing his form. The only other threat to Iyer in the middle order is from an inconsistent Rinku Singh. Breaking into the T20I team will be no easy thing for Iyer surely, though, it’s not impossible. Dube has had an off season, really, while Samson has never really grabbed eyeballs in the same fashion. If India decides to shake things up, Iyer can then come into the side at No. 3 where he would push Tilak Verma to the finisher spot at No. 5. Since Iyer has been opening at No. 3 in IPL 2025 him coming there feels like the natural switch. But that leads to the question—what are the selectors thinking?