At Just 15, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Named Bihar Captain For Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Named Bihar Captain For Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy At 15

Teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is set to begin his senior-level captaincy journey after being appointed Bihar’s skipper for the opening two matches of the 2026-27 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The 15-year-old will lead a 17-member Bihar squad when the domestic T20 competition gets underway on November 14.

The Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) selection committee has announced the squad for the team’s first two fixtures, scheduled to take place in Indore. Sooryavanshi will subsequently join the India A squad for the Rising Stars Asia Cup later this month.

The appointment marks another milestone in the youngster’s rapidly progressing cricket career. During the previous Ranji Trophy season, he was named Bihar’s vice-captain for the first two matches, with Sakibul Gani serving as skipper. Sooryavanshi had already created history by making his first-class debut against Mumbai in January 2024, aged just 12.

He has also led India at the junior level. In January, he captained the Under-19 team during a three-match Youth ODI series in South Africa when regular skipper Ayush Mhatre was unavailable due to injury. He later featured in India’s victorious Under-19 World Cup campaign in February, with Mhatre returning to lead the team.

Sooryavanshi Returns From New Zealand Tour

The Bihar captaincy announcement comes shortly after Sooryavanshi’s return from New Zealand, where he represented India in the five-match T20I series. Although opportunities were restricted by the presence of established openers Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, the teenager featured in two games.

His most impressive contribution came in the third T20I in Wellington, where he smashed 45 runs from just 19 deliveries. He shared a remarkable opening partnership with Abhishek Sharma, as the duo accumulated 118 runs without losing a wicket in the first six overs, setting a new record for the highest powerplay score in men’s T20I cricket.

Abhishek subsequently hammered 113 off 38 balls, helping India successfully chase New Zealand’s target of 199 runs.

BCA Confident In Young Captain

BCA president Harsh Vardhan expressed confidence in Sooryavanshi’s ability to handle the leadership responsibility, saying the opportunity would help him develop as a captain.

“Vaibhav has already demonstrated tremendous talent, confidence and maturity at a young age. We are hopeful that under his leadership, the team will deliver a disciplined and competitive performance,” he said.

Bihar have been placed in Group B alongside Delhi, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Railways, Saurashtra and Tamil Nadu. They will open their campaign against Saurashtra in Indore on November 14.

Wicketkeeper-batters Ayush Loharuka and Anmol Kumar are among the players selected, while Suraj Kashyap will serve as vice-captain. Mangal Mahour and Shakib Hussain have been included subject to fitness assessments, with their availability to be reviewed after the first two matches.

Bihar Squad For Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2026

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (Captain), Alok Kumar, Ayush Loharuka (WK), Altamash Ashraf, Param Kumar Singh, Anmol Kumar (WK), Ritwik Raj, Suraj Kashyap (Vice-Captain), Mayank Kumar, Raghvendra Pratap, Ashish Kumar, Vasudev Pratap Singh, Mohammad Izhar, Amod Yadav, Prashant Singh, Nawaz Khan and Himanshu Singh.

Standby Players: Bipin Saurabh, Suman Kumar, Akash Raj, Khalid Alam, Bhaskar Dubey, Kumar Rajnish, Suyash, Abhijeet Saket, Yashasvi Rishabh, Lakhan Raja, Pawan Kumar, Amit Chaudhary, Piyush Singh, Bhanu Kumar, Lokesh Babulal Kumar and Prashant Srivastava.