15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi named Bihar captain for opening Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy matches
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been appointed captain of Bihar for their opening two matches of the 2026-27 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, with those fixtures to be played in Indore when the tournament begins on November 14. The 15-year-old batting prospect will lead a squad selected by the Bihar Cricket Association for the first two games.
Sooryavanshi is expected to represent Bihar before joining the India A squad for the Rising Stars Asia Cup later this month. Last season he served as vice-captain of Bihar's Ranji Trophy side for the opening two matches, with Sakibul Gani as captain. He made his first-class debut for Bihar at 12 years of age against Mumbai in January 2024. At age-group level he captained India Under-19 during a three-match Youth ODI tour of South Africa in January when regular captain Ayush Mhatre was unavailable due to injury, and he was part of the India team that won the Under-19 World Cup in February, although Mhatre led the side at that tournament.
The appointment follows Sooryavanshi's return from New Zealand, where he featured in the recently concluded five-match T20I series. Opportunities at the international level have been limited, with Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson ahead of him in India's opening combination. The teenager played in two matches on the New Zealand tour.
In the third T20I in Wellington, Sooryavanshi struck 45 off just 19 balls. He combined with Abhishek to put on 118 without loss in the first six overs, setting a new record for the highest powerplay total in men's T20I cricket. Abhishek went on to score 113 off 38 balls as India chased down New Zealand's 199-run target.
BCA president Harsh Vardhan offered a rationale for the move, saying: "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. The selection committee has kept Mangal Mahour and Shakib Hussain's places subject to fitness, with their availability to be assessed after the first two matches.
Bihar have been drawn in Group B alongside Delhi, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Railways, Saurashtra and Tamil Nadu. The squad includes wicketkeeper-batters Ayush Loharuka and Anmol Kumar, and Suraj Kashyap has been named vice-captain. Sooryavanshi's 17-member squad is: 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. Standbys are 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.
Bihar will begin their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign against Saurashtra in Indore on November 14, with Sooryavanshi to lead the side in the opening two matches.
