New era: Tucker named Ireland T20I captain for India series

Lorcan Tucker, 29, named permanent Ireland T20I captain on June 22, 2026Replaces Paul Stirling, who stepped down after T20 World Cup 2026. Experience: 159 caps for Ireland since 2016 debut, vice-captain since 2025, stood in as skipper twice before Also captains Leinster Lightning in Inter-Provincial cricket. Paul Stirling stepped down from the T20I captaincy after the T20 World Cup earlier this year and is unavailable due to a calf tear, while Ireland are also missing five seam options due to injuries: Josh Little (stress fracture), Mark Adair (abdominal), Curtis Campher (hand fracture), Barry McCarthy (anterior cruciate ligament) and Jordan Neill (shoulder, and foot). There are several new faces in their absence. Reuben Wilson, who made his Test debut against New Zealand last month, could play his first limited-overs international, while young quicks Jai Moondra and Matt Hollard are in line to win their first Ireland caps in any format. Liam McCarthy could also play only his second T20I after an expensive debut last year. Matthew Hollard - pacer Jai Moondra - left-arm seamer, first Asian-origin player picked since Simi Singh. Reuben Wilson - uncapped in T20Is, made Test debut vs NZ last month. “Lead from within and by example” – wants to bring the best out of players “Act with honesty and empathy” – values relationships with staff/players. Goal: Integrate next generation ahead of T20 World Cup 2028On injuries: “One player’s misfortune is another player's opportunity” – selector Andrew White. He described the captaincy as "a great privilege" and said that he was relishing the chance to lead Ireland against India in two sold-out T20Is this weekend, with both fixtures due to be played in Stormont, Belfast. The series will be Shreyas Iyer's first as captain, and could see teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi make his international debut. Bottom line: With Stirling stepping down and 6 regulars injured, wicketkeeper-batter Lorcan Tucker takes over as Ireland’s permanent T20I captain. He’ll lead a squad with 3 uncapped players into 2 T20Is vs India in Belfast, starting a new cycle aimed at T20 WC 2028.