15-Year-Old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Gets First Senior Captaincy Role, To Lead Bihar In SMAT
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is preparing for a new challenge in his young cricketing career after being appointed captain of Bihar for the opening two matches of the 2026-27 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. At just 15, the left-handed batting prodigy will take charge of the senior state team as the domestic T20 tournament begins on November 14.
The Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) has announced a 17-member squad for the opening fixtures, which will be held in Indore. Sooryavanshi’s leadership assignment will be limited to the first two matches, after which he is expected to join the India A team for the Rising Stars Asia Cup.
The appointment reflects the confidence the state association has placed in the youngster, who has achieved several milestones despite his age. He previously served as Bihar’s vice-captain for the opening two matches of the Ranji Trophy, with Sakibul Gani leading the team. Sooryavanshi made his first-class debut against Mumbai in January 2024 when he was only 12.
His leadership credentials also include international age-group cricket. In January, he captained India’s Under-19 side during a three-match Youth ODI series in South Africa in the absence of injured regular skipper Ayush Mhatre. He was later part of India’s Under-19 World Cup-winning squad in February, although Mhatre led the team in the tournament.
Impressive New Zealand Tour Before Bihar Assignment
Sooryavanshi’s appointment follows his participation in India’s recently concluded five-match T20I series against New Zealand. The teenager played two matches, with established openers Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson ahead of him in the opening combination.
He made a strong impression in the third T20I in Wellington, scoring 45 runs from only 19 deliveries. His aggressive batting alongside Abhishek helped India register 118 runs without losing a wicket in the powerplay, the highest six-over total in men’s T20I history.
Abhishek further strengthened India’s position with a spectacular 113 off 38 balls as the visitors chased down the 199-run target.
Bihar Association Backs Teenage Skipper
BCA president Harsh Vardhan welcomed the decision to hand Sooryavanshi the captaincy, expressing optimism about his leadership abilities.
“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 drawn in Group B alongside Delhi, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Railways, Saurashtra and Tamil Nadu. Their opening match will be against Saurashtra in Indore on November 14.
The squad features wicketkeeper-batters Ayush Loharuka and Anmol Kumar, while Suraj Kashyap has been appointed vice-captain. Mangal Mahour and Shakib Hussain have been selected subject to fitness, with their availability to be reviewed following the first two fixtures.
Bihar Squad For Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2026-27
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.
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