It is almost certain that the vice captain of the Indian Men's ODI team, Shreyas Iyer, won't be playing the ODI series against South africa starting this November 30 at Ranchi. However, there were hopes regarding his comeback in the next ODI series against New Zealand next year, in January. However, reports are claiming that Iyer will be nowhere on the field till March. According to a report from Dainik Jagran, Shreyas Iyer is unlikely to be match fit till the middle of 2026 Indian Premier League. This means he won't be playing for either the South Africa or New Zealand series. As per the report, the renowned doctor for most athletes, Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala, has been looking at his case and has advised him to stay away from heavy-load activities. Read also: 2025-26 Ashes: Mitchell Starc takes a stunner off his own, dismiss Crawley in the first over What did Pardiwala say about Shreyas Iyer's case? The Dainik Jagran report clarified that Shreyas Iyer underwent an ultrasonography Test. Dr Pardiwala assessed it and said that Iyer has improved but he is not allowed to do any kind of exercises that might hurt his stomach. He will have another Ultrasonography test in the coming two months. And that will decide if he can join the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru for his rehab. In terms of international cricket, Shreyas Iyer might be as late as in June 2026 to finally play against Afghanistan. What happened to Shreyas Iyer? The middle-order batter suffered a life-threatening spleen injury while taking Alex carey's catch in the Sydney ODI on October 25. His vitals reported going down, with Oxygen level falling to 50%. He went unconscious when he was taken to a hospital in Sydney. He stayed in Sydney for a few days, but is currently in India. His Punjab teammate Yuzvendra Chahal had shared a recent photo of them having a party in Shreyas' residence. Notably, Iyer is a key part of India’s ODI setup, scoring over 500 runs at No. 4 in the 2023 World Cup and finishing as India’s top scorer in the 2025 Champions Trophy. In the IPL, he leads Punjab Kings after being bought for ₹26.75 crore in the 2025 mega auction. He scored 600+ runs in his debut season and guided PBKS to the final.