Sooryavanshi becomes youngest captain in men's T20s

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi became the youngest captain in top-level men's Twenty20 cricket on Saturday when he led Bihar in their opening Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match, a five-wicket defeat by Saurashtra.

At 15 years and 232 days, Sooryavanshi broke the previous record held by Zach Vukusic, who captained Croatia aged 17 years and 311 days. He made his India debut in July in a T20 defeat by England at Old Trafford, becoming India's youngest men's international.

Bihar lost their opening tie in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy — India's domestic state T20 competition, below the Indian Premier League — by five wickets to Saurashtra. In that match Sooryavanshi scored 18 from 12 balls while leading the side.

Since his emergence he has set multiple age-related records. He made his Indian Premier League debut for Rajasthan Royals as a 14-year-old in 2025, becoming the franchise tournament's youngest player.

Later in the 2025 IPL season he became the youngest centurion in men's T20s when he scored a hundred against Gujarat Titans, and this year he finished as the tournament's leading run-scorer.

Sooryavanshi played in two of India's five T20 internationals in New Zealand earlier this month, recording a top score of 45 in the third match in Wellington. The captaincy record is the latest landmark in his young career and follows numerous record-breaking achievements since his IPL debut.

He is also due to be part of India's side at the Rising Stars Asia Cup. The Rising Stars Asia Cup is a development 50-over tournament which takes place in Doha later this month.