Vaibhav Sooryavanshi becomes youngest captain in men's T20 history
The 15-year-old led Bihar against Saurashtra in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy opener in Indore.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi became the youngest-ever men's T20 captain at 15 years and 232 days, leading Bihar against Saurashtra in Indore. He broke Croatia's Zach Vukusic's record of 17 years and 311 days.
Key takeaways
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi captained Bihar in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match against Saurashtra on Saturday.
- At 15 years and 232 days, he became the youngest-ever men's T20 captain.
- He eclipsed Croatia's Zach Vukusic, who captained at 17 years and 311 days.
- Sooryavanshi scored 18 off 12 balls, caught and bowled by Chetan Sakariya, after Bihar elected to bat.
- He will play one more SMAT fixture before joining India A for the ACC Rising Stars Emerging tournament in Doha from November 19.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi became the youngest-ever men’s T20 captain at 15 years and 232 days, leading Bihar in their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy opener against Saurashtra in Indore on Saturday.
He broke the record previously held by Croatia’s Zach Vukusic, who captained his national team at 17 years and 311 days old. Bihar won the toss and elected to bat first.
Sooryavanshi scored 18 off 12 balls, including two fours and a six, before falling caught and bowled by left-arm seamer Chetan Sakariya. It was only his eighth T20 for Bihar and 44th overall; 23 of those appearances have been for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.
Why it matters
The landmark comes just five months after Sooryavanshi’s T20I debut for India and less than ten months after he helped India win the Under-19 World Cup in Zimbabwe. He is now a regular in India’s T20I squad.
Last season he was named Bihar’s Ranji Trophy vice-captain and served as deputy to Ishan Kishan during the 2026-27 Duleep Trophy, where East Zone emerged as the winner; when Kishan was out of the field, Sooryavanshi led East Zone for a couple of sessions.
His inclusion is a boost for Bihar, still smarting from four successive defeats in the first half of the 2026-27 Ranji Trophy season.
What happens next
Sooryavanshi will be available for just one more SMAT fixture before linking up with India A for the ACC Rising Stars Emerging tournament, played in the 50-over format, in Doha from November 19. 1 overs.
He featured in two T20Is in that series, which India won 3-2. Last November, he slammed the joint-third-fastest T20 century by an Indian, hitting 144 off 42 balls for India A against UAE at the ACC Rising Stars tournament.
Youngest men's T20 captains by age
Player | Team | Age | Opponent | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | Bihar | 15 years and 232 days | Saurashtra | Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy |
Zach Vukusic | Croatia | 17 years and 311 days | Not listed | Not listed |
Sooryavanshi's key career figures
Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
T20Is for India | 2 |
T20s for Bihar | 8 |
Overall T20s | 44 |
T20s for Rajasthan Royals in IPL | 23 |
T20I runs in New Zealand series | 45 off 19 balls |
Related on Apex Sports News
Sources
Topics
- Ranji Trophy
- Duleep Trophy
- Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
- Under-19 World Cup
- ACC Rising Stars Emerging tournament
- India A
- East Zone
- Rajasthan Royals
- Saurashtra
- Bihar
- Ishan Kishan
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
- Abhishek Sharma
- Jaydev Unadkat
- Zach Vukusic
- Chetan Sakariya
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
- Bihar
- Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
- T20 cricket news
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