Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter Robin Uthappa expressed surprise over the omission of Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper Shreyas Iyer from India’s squad for the 2025 Asia Cup. Speaking as an analyst, Uthappa questioned the decision, pointing out Iyer’s recent form.

He highlighted that Iyer delivered an outstanding batting performance in the 2025 Champions Trophy, showcasing consistency and match-winning abilities. According to Uthappa, such efforts should have been rewarded with a spot in the Asia Cup squad, especially given India’s need for experienced middle-order batters in high-pressure tournaments.

The former India cricketer further emphasized that Iyer’s leadership qualities and batting versatility make him a valuable option for the national side. He believed that the selectors might have overlooked an in-form player who could contribute significantly. Uthappa’s remarks have sparked discussion among fans and experts, many of whom share similar views about Iyer’s absence from the squad.

See Also: “No one is better than him” - Ambati Rayudu backs Virat Kohli to play 2027 World Cup

Robin Uthappa Questions Shreyas Iyer’s Omission from Asia Cup Squad:

Shreyas Iyer started his IPL journey with Delhi Capitals, leading them to their first final. Later, he showcased his leadership with Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders, taking both sides to consecutive finals, and eventually lifting the trophy with KKR in 2024, marking a significant achievement in his franchise journey.

In IPL 2025, Shreyas Iyer impressed with the bat, amassing 604 runs from 17 innings at a brisk strike rate of 175.05, which included six fifties. Shreyas last played a T20I against Australia in December 2023, accumulating 1,104 runs in 51 matches at a strike rate of 136.12, including eight fifties.

Shreyas Iyer emerged as India’s top scorer in the 2025 Champions Trophy, amassing 243 runs in five innings at an impressive average of 48.60, including two fifties. His performances were instrumental in India’s first ICC title win since 2013. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar responded casually and briefly when asked about Shreyas Iyer’s omission from India’s Asia Cup squad.

After Shreyas Iyer’s exclusion from the Asia Cup squad, Robin Uthappa shared his thoughts, expressing hope that the Mumbai batter was clearly told the reason behind his omission from the T20 tournament. On Wednesday, August 20, Uthappa took to X, voicing concern that such communication is important for a player’s confidence and growth, especially after consistent performances at the highest level.

He wrote, “ There are around 18 T20Is to go before India play the next #T20WC; not having #ShreyasIyer, who was integral in helping you win the CT, seems strange. But one can only hope that he gets into this side soon coz he deserves it! I hope they have communicated to him about his exclusion.”

Shreyas Iyer is expected to return to action during India’s upcoming three-match ODI series against Australia, starting October 19. After missing out on the Asia Cup squad, the right-hander will look to showcase his form and consistency in Australian conditions, aiming to strengthen his position in India’s white-ball setup ahead of future international assignments.

Board of control for cricket in India (BCCI) selection committee held a meeting on August 19 to finalize the squad for the upcoming Asia cup 2025. India T20I captain Surya Kumar Yadav was present in the meeting and a 15 member squad was unvealed. Just after the squad was unveiled there were two names who grabbed all the attention. Shubman Gill, who hadn't played the T20I in almost one year was named as the vice captain in the squad, and Harshit Rana and Rinku Singh were all also included.

The other two players which drew a lot of attention after the squad was released were Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Particularly Iyer, who had done nothing wrong in recent years when it comes to T20s was left out of the squad, despite his spectacular performance in Champions Trophy 2025.

Read More: BCCI selector reveals India's probable opening combination for Asia Cup 2025

Former India cricketer Robin Uthappa shed light on this incident and he said that BCCI should introspect on why Shreya Sayer was left out from the squad. He highlighted his performance in champions trophy and said that he should be included in the T20I squad as soon as possible.

“There are around 18 T20I’s to go before India play the next #T20WC; not having #ShreyasIyer  who was integral in helping you win the CT seems strange. But one can only hope that he gets into this side soon coz he deserves it! I hope they have communicated to him about his exclusion,” said Uthappa.

India Squad For Asia Cup 2025

Surya Kumar 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

Asia Cup Live: India's schedule

India's group fixtures in the Asia Cup:

10 September – UAE v India, Dubai

14 September – India v Pakistan, Dubai

19 September – India v Oman, Dubai

Super Fours

20-26 September in Abu Dhabi and Dubai

Final

28 September in Dubai

The Indian Champions are struggling in this tournament, losing both their matches and currently occupying the bottom position in the points table. They lost their last match by 4 wickets against the Australia Champions, failing to defend the target of 204 runs.

On the other hand, the England Champions have faced a difficult campaign, collecting just one point across four matches, and that came via a match that was called off because of rain.

IAC vs EDC Match Details

Date: July 27th, 2025

Time: 9:00 PM IST

Venue: Headingley, Leeds

Live Streaming: Fancode  

IAC vs EDC Weather Report

Clear weather

Also Read: WCL 2025: SAC vs AAC Prediction– Match 12, Who will win today?

Top Batters IAC vs EDC 

• Phil Mustard (EDC) - 101 runs in this tournament 

• Eoin Morgan (EDC) - 89 runs in this tournament

• Samit Patel (EDC) - 78 runs in this tournament 

Top Bowler IAC vs EDC

• Stuart Meaker (EDC) - 5 wickets in this tournament 

• Piyush Chawla (IAC) - 5 wickets in this tournament

• Ajmal Shahzad (EDC) - 3 wickets in this tournament

IAC vs EDC Recent Performance

IAC vs EDC Today Match Prediction Scenarios

Scenario 1- If EDC bats first

• First Innings score prediction- EDC is expected to score 160-170 runs

• Result prediction- IAC will win the match by 5 Wickets.

Scenario 2- If IAC bats first

• First Innings score prediction- IAC is expected to score 200-210 runs.

• Result prediction- IAC will win the match by 20-30 Runs

IAC vs EDC Predicted Playing XI

England Champions (AAC) Playing XI 

Phil Mustard (wk), Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Ravi Bopara, Tim Ambrose, Samit Patel, Liam Plunkett, Ajmal Shahzad, Stuart Meaker, Dimitri Mascarenhas.

India Champions (SAC) Playing XI

Robin Uthappa (wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Yuvraj Singh (c), Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla, Vinay Kumar, Siddarth Kaul.

IAC vs EDC Complete Squad

England Champions -

Phil Mustard (wk), Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Ravi Bopara, Tim Ambrose, Samit Patel, Liam Plunkett, Ajmal Shahzad, Stuart Meaker, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Sir Alastair Cook, Chris Tremlett, Ryan Sidebottom, James Vince, Usman Afzaal

India Champions -

Robin Uthappa (wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Yuvraj Singh (c), Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla, Vinay Kumar, Siddarth Kaul, Stuart Binny, Varun Aaron, Pawan Negi, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Abhimanyu Mithun

IAC vs EDC Today Match Prediction, Who Will Win the Match?

India Champions To win

We predict that India Champions will be winning this WCL 2025 match. The likes of Suresh Raina, Robin Uthappa and Piyush Chawla will be key players to watch out for.

Less than seven days to go before the beginning of the highly anticipated England vs. India 5-match Test series. Prior to the series, cricket experts had already started to predict multiple possible outcomes from the competition. This time, former team India wicketkeeper and batter Robin Uthappa picked his favorite XI for the first match of the series.

He showed enough trust in the newly appointed captain of India's Test team, Shubman Gill, and in his boys. Like many others, Uthappa chose KL Rahul as the opener with Yashasvi Jaiswal, and then at number 3, he chose to offer Sai Sudharsan an opportunity.

The number 4 batting position has become one of the most talked-about points, as Virat Kohli used to bat in that particular position. The batter who dared to bat in the slot will definitely need to handle a lot of pressure. Being the leader of the team and the quality Gill possessed as a batter, Uthappa had no second thought about choosing the India captain for number four.

Read More: 'Rohit bhai also very aggressive..'- Shubman Gill reveals Rohit Sharma's approach as captain ahead of ENG vs IND Test series

A mixture of young and experienced candidates 

The 2007 T20 World Cup winner picked Rishabh Pant, the vice captain of the setup, at number 6 and Karun Nair as number 5 to provide balance in the combination. Interestingly, Uthappa liked to go with Nitish Kumar Reddy over experienced Shardul for the all-rounder spot, accompanied by Ravindra Jadeja. For the pace bowling attack, the former cricketer, now cricket expert, did not want much experimentation and preferred experience, mainly by picking Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna. 

"I will have Jadeja. Again, he increased depth, scored runs, and has scored runs in England as well in Test cricket. So I will have him at No. 8. I see Siraj playing that role. Siraj has to be a lot more disciplined, though. One change you will like to see is Prasidh Krishna coming in and Nitish Kumar Reddy again to support the fast bowlers," Uthappa said. 

Robin Uthappa's predicted playing XI:

Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudarshan, Shubman Gill (c), Karun Nair, Rishabh Pant (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.

Even as the cricketing activity is all set to resume, there has been concern expressed by former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa over a concerning trend off the field — the increasing toxicity of IPL fan bases, especially those of RCB and Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

In a recent conversation with cricket commentator Jarrod Kimber on his YouTube channel, Uthappa made concerning personal insights into the growing animosity between opposing fans. Having worn jerseys of both CSK and RCB in his playing career, Uthappa was dismayed at the way friendly banter of the past has escalated into violent and unacceptable attitude.

He recounted moments in which players were jeered by fans as team buses left, terming such actions as "in bad taste." More disturbing incidents involved fights between opposing supporters, with Uthappa having watched women being jeered — an act he termed as "unsavory" and totally unacceptable.

Watch the video here:

RCB - CSK fans going too far.
Passionate fans fuel cricket, but some go too far, fighting, mocking players, heckling others. Seen it with many teams, same last year.

Watch the full video here:https://t.co/CeVyVnfUnN pic.twitter.com/eW3Ci6ENGM

— Robbie Uthappa (@robbieuthappa) May 17, 2025

Also read: This might finally be the year' - Former CSK legend backs RCB to go distance in IPL 2025

Uthappa condemns ridicule of CSK's history of suspension

Uthappa expressed concern over fans using symbolic gestures to insult CSK, referring to a trend where individuals held up white T-shirts marked with black lines to mock the franchise’s two-year suspension. Some even went as far as writing MS Dhoni’s jersey number along with the word “Thala” to suggest imprisonment, an act Uthappa found deeply disrespectful. He cautioned that the gestures are taking fan competition beyond the sport, noting that cricket must continue to be a celebration of competition, not a stage for personal attacks.

"It has become rather intense. They are holding up jerseys, white shirts with black lines inscribed on them saying the two years that CSK had been banned for. They have written MS' number on it somehow and Thala below it, showing that they had been in prison for two years or something. It's getting a bit more than sport which worries me. Because at the end of the day, this is a sport," said Uthappa.

The Indian Premier League has not only provided a platform for young players but has also allowed some out-of-turn careers to resurrect themselves after injuries or even a slow phase. There have been countless names over the years who have taken benefits out of IPL to reignite their careers, catching the eye of the national team, thereby slowly gaining back their lost legacy. Here is a brief about a few biggest names who have turned around their careers, thanks to the IPL.

1. Shane Watson (Australia)

Before joining the Rajasthan Royals in the first season of the IPL in 2008, Shane Watson struggled with injuries and inconsistencies in international cricket. However, his all-round performances in the IPL renewed him into relevance, which included winning the Player of the Tournament award in 2008. He then went on to become a mainstay once again for Australia and later slayed in the 2018 IPL final with a match-winning century for Chennai Super Kings.

2. Robin Uthappa (India)

Robin Uthappa's on-and-off relationship with the Indian national unit was cleared up by his IPL success, putting him back in the spotlight. He represented multiple franchises, but his best was in 2014 with the Kolkata Knight Riders, where he won the Orange Cap and helped KKR win the title. It was this performance in the IPL that saw a brief return for him to the Indian team.

3. Chris Gayle (West Indies)

Before the 2011 IPL, this West Indies player lost his central contract and, in the auction, didn't find a buyer. And then Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) called him a replacement player, and the rest is history. He thrashed the league, culminating in the 175 off 66 balls in 2013, for the highest individual T20 score. His IPL resurgence also saw him returning to the West Indies squad, where he became the winning captain of the 2016 T20 World Cup.

4. Dinesh Karthik (India)

Dinesh Karthik's career has been marked by multiple comebacks, with each of them largely glamorous and IPL nursed. They achieved their greatest delight, owing to IPL 2022, with RCB, wherein he played the finisher role and forced his way back in to India's T20I squad for the T20 World Cup 2022.

Also Read: Shoaib Akhtar Raises His Concerns On PCB Missing The Champions Trophy Ceremony

5. Pat Cummins (Australia)

Pat Cummins had been tormented by injuries throughout the early stages of his career, forcing him onto the sidelines for years. In 2020, he was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for ₹15.5 crore, and his performance in IPL assisted him in getting his mojo back. Later, he became Australia’s Test captain and led them to more than one ICC trophy.

6. Rahul Tewatia (India)

Before he hit five sixes in one over against the Punjab Kings in IPL 2020, Rahul Tewatia was an unknown name; he became an overnight sensation when his consistent performance for Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Titans surely made him one of the top Indian all-rounders in the IPL.

While the cricketing community is preparing itself for the Champions Trophy, Shreyas Iyer has received renewed backing as a future captain of Team India from former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa. The backing comes against the backdrop of increasing rumors of the leadership change in Indian cricket.

Robin Uthappa said "I think Shreyas Iyer is going to be the next Indian Captain". [Star Sports] pic.twitter.com/wKepoJLPXb

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) February 20, 2025

The New Captain
It has been seen that ex-cricket player Robin Uthappa is frequently on the news for giving controversial statements. He speaks about Indian cricket and shares his views. Recently, though. he spoke about the new captaincy of Team India, which has been in the headlines for some time now. According to him, Shreyas Iyer will become the new captain of the Indian team. "As far as I know, Shreyas Iyer is the future captain of Team India," he said.
"This is the final tournament for Kohli and Rohit.".
I know that this is Kohli and Rohit's last tournament. Maybe not the last. But I feel that this will be Kohli and Rohit's last match together. So I feel that all members of the team should play with this in their minds. I hope Virat Kohli scores big runs this year. I feel he will begin doing it from here (Champions Trophy). Virat will come into form very soon," he said.

ALSO SEE: Cricketers Who Are Just Like Anime Characters

Uthappa's Faith in Iyer
Uthappa has always shown his faith in Iyer's leadership skills. When Iyer led the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their third Indian Premier League (IPL) title, Uthappa firmly declared, "I am going to say it here. He is going to be the future India captain."
His argument was supported when Iyer was picked by the Punjab Kings (PBKS) for a staggering INR 26.75 crore at the IPL auction. When Uthappa was appointed PBKS captain, he said, "If he can go there and win a title, I do not doubt that he is going to be the next Indian captain."

The Road Ahead
At the moment, Shreyas Iyer is included in India's 15-member squad for the Champions Trophy. Rohit Sharma is still the captain, with Shubman Gill as the vice-captain. Yet, with India likely to shift to a younger nucleus in the next few years, Iyer is still one of the strongest contenders for the captaincy. For the time being, cricket enthusiasts and pundits alike will keep an eye on Iyer's development as India gazes into the horizon of its leadership.

There's the Road Safety World Series, or RSWS for short. It's in 2025 and it's going to be the third time this happens! It's really important because the best cricket players get to play and everyone's extremely excited and ready to watch. Now, all the games are happening in England and that's really great because cricket games there are fun to see.

They're going to participate in T20 games, which means the games move very quickly and are replete with action. It's going to be very enjoyable to watch! And since it's so fun, even more people than before are going to see the players attempt to win. The RSWS has eight teams and they all want to win this very special prize. The important thing about this cricket competition is that it's not only just about the game--it's teaching us to be safe when we're driving.

The Road Safety Cell from India makes this all happen, and the person in charge of everything is Sunil Gavaskar, and Sachin Tendulkar is playing. Mister Tendulkar's telling everyone that this cricket game is a top-rate thing. And something sort of abnormal but also positive is that we don't know an entire lot about this game even though it's really important - it's sparsely documented.

ALSO READ:Arshdeep Singh Named ICC Men's T20I Cricketer of the Year 2024

Achievements and Broadcast Information

Road Safety World Series 2025 Teams

RSWS 2025 Squads & Captains and Player Lists

Australia Legends Squad 2025

• Captain: Brad Hodge
• Players: Marcus North, Nathan Reardon, Ben Laughlin, Clint McKay, Dirk Nannes, Peter Forrest, Ian Harvey, John Hastings, Ben Dunk (wk), Fawad Ahmed, Xavier Doherty, Ben Hilfenhaus.

England Legends Squad 2025

• Captain: Eoin Morgan
• Players: Mark Ramprakash, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Graeme Swann, Monty Panesar, Ryan Sidebottom, Sajid Mahmood, Stephen Parry, Steven Finn, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Paul Nixon, Chris Schofield, Phil Mustard.

Sri Lanka Legends Squad 2025

• Captain: Tillakaratne Dilshan (wk)
• Players: Chamara Kapugedara, Chaturanga de Silva, Ishan Jayaratne, Isuru Udana, Jeevan Mendis, Mahela Udawatte, Sanath Jayasuriya, Asela Gunaratne, Thisara Perera, Upul Tharanga, Nuwan Kulasekara, Nuwan Pradeep, Chamara Silva.

India Legends Squad 2025

• Captain: Yuvraj Singh
• Players: Ambati Rayudu (wk), Robin Uthappa (wk), Abhimanyu Mithun, Harbhajan Singh, Manpreet Gony, Stuart Binny, Naman Ojha (wk), Munaf Patel, Ramesh Powar, Rudra Pratap Singh, Vinay Kumar, Bharat Chipli.

Pakistan Legends Squad 2025

• Captain: Shahid Afridi
• Players: Asghar Afghan, Azhar Mahmood, Karim Sadiq, Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal (wk), Misbah-ul-Haq, Nawroz Mangal, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rahman, Dawlat Ahmadzai, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul

Former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa opened up about the leadership differences between the former Indian captain Virat Kohli and the present Test and ODI skipper Rohit Sharma, under whose leadership India won the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. 

In a recent interview with the Lallantop, former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa claimed that captain Virat Kohli was speculative and exclusive, while he praised skipper Rohit Sharma for his inclusive leadership nature. 

Explaining their nature, Uthappa claimed that Kohli always set high standards for every player to stay in the team, while Rohit brought the best self from every player without changing their nature. 

See Also: Indian wicketkeeper-batter can be rested from England series

Robin Uthappa talked about Yuvraj Singh's yo-yo test failure

In the interview, Uthappa opened up about his views on the skipper Virat Kohli’s treatment of Yuvraj Singh in the Indian team. After winning the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, the Player of the Tournament, Yuvraj had to battle against cancer before making his international cricket return in 2012. He participated in the ICC World T20 in 2012 and 2014 and also in the ICC Champions Trophy in 2017. 

However, due to failing to pass the yo-yo test, Singh’s international career didn’t stretch further. Uthappa felt that the yo-yo test mark for Singh should be adjusted. 

The former Indian cricketer also talked about the difference between cricket/batting fitness and match fitness. He feels that the present higher level of match fitness is overrated for the game. 

 

 

 

 

 

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Uthappa slammed Mr. Fix-it

Meanwhile, on his official social media account, Uthappa slammed the recent Mr. Fix-it report. Talking about Rohit Sharma’s leadership controversy, the former Indian cricketer felt that Mr. Fix-it should be named and shamed, whoever he is, either senior or junior, as Mr. Fix-it is a disappointment for human beings at this point in time. 

 

 

 

 

 

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India suffered a rare failure in the ongoing Hong Kong Sixes tournament as they registered a string of four consecutive defeats which officially eliminated the Blue Brigade from the quarter-final race. The Men in Blue currently being led by Robin Uthappa have failed to register a single victory in this tournament and will conclude their campaign on a sour note without a win under their belt.

India commenced their campaign by playing the opening match of their tournament against their old foe Pakistan. India has predominantly had the upper hand over their arch-rivals in major cricketing events but contrary to everyone’s expectations, the Indians were taken aback as Pakistan chased down a galloping 120 runs inside five overs in one of the most one-sided fashions. 

But the final nail in the coffin came when India took on a fairly inexperienced UAE side in their second match of the tournament. They were in desperate search of a win to stay in the race. While many expected India to win quite comfortably, UAE held their nerve to steal a narrow one-run victory from India in the final over of the run chase. At that moment, it was all but over for team India. The team subsequently went on to face England and New Zealand in their remaining fixtures but finished winless.  

The intense last-over drama which left India heartbroken

Coming into this fixture after a shocking defeat in their earlier match against Pakistan, Robin Uthappa & Co. found themselves in a high-pressure situation. UAE got off the flyer with the bat but Binny’s 3-31 restricted them to 130. The target of 131 was still going to be fairly tricky but Bharat Chipli gave the Blues a blazing start, smocking 20 in the first over before getting out. But they were soon jolted when they lost Chipli and Tiwari in quick succession giving UAE a window of opportunity to seal the game prematurely. 

But then the skipper arrived and together with Binny, the two dug in there and took the game deep for India. Uthappa went all guns blazing and hammered 43 runs off 10 balls which included three fours and five sixes. He was going along smoothly but Zubair got the better of him in the last ball of the fourth over and had him dismissed when the score was 83-3.

India needed 32 in 6 balls:

Stuart Binny - 4,WD,6,6,6,6,1. India lost by just 1 run. 💔 pic.twitter.com/qyhKWWyqe6

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) November 2, 2024

However, Binny continued to shine with the bat and kept India in the run chase with the help of his brute hitting. The game eventually progressed to the last over of the run chase where 32 runs were needed. Asif Khan from UAE was tasked with bowling the final over and he was greatted by a boundary first ball followed by a wide the second ball.

Binny then pressed his foot on the accelerator a lot further and went on to tonk four consecutive sixes before being run out on the final ball leaving India agonizingly short by one run. Binny clobbered 30 runs in that over but India fell by a narrow margin as they had way too much on their plate during the final over of the run chase.