Sports

SMAT 2026: 15-Year-Old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Becomes Men’s T20 Cricket’s Youngest Skipper

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi reached a new milestone in his cricketing journey on Saturday, becoming the youngest player in men’s T20 history to captain a team.

The 15-year-old assumed leadership of Bihar at 15 years and 232 days during their opening 2026–27 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy fixture against Saurashtra at Indore’s Holkar Stadium.

He bettered the previous record held by Croatia’s Zach Vukusic, who captained his national side at the age of 17 years and 311 days.

The captaincy milestone adds to Sooryavanshi’s growing list of achievements across age-group and international cricket. He made his India T20I debut five months ago and subsequently contributed to the country’s Under-19 World Cup triumph in Zimbabwe earlier this year.

Captaincy Debut Ends With 18-Run Knock

The young skipper could not convert his opportunity into a substantial innings against Saurashtra. Bihar elected to bat after winning the toss, but Sooryavanshi departed after scoring 18 from 12 balls.

Left-arm fast bowler Chetan Sakariya claimed his wicket through a caught-and-bowled dismissal.

His involvement in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy will be brief. He is expected to feature in just one more fixture before reporting for India A’s ACC Rising Stars Emerging tournament in Doha, which begins on November 19 in the 50-over format.

Sooryavanshi enters the upcoming assignment after an impressive showing against New Zealand.

He struck 45 off 19 in an explosive opening stand with Abhishek Sharma, who helped him build a 133-run partnership in just 7.1 overs. India eventually secured the series 3–2.

The teenager has represented Bihar in eight T20 matches and played 44 games overall, including 23 appearances for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.

He also delivered a memorable performance last November by hammering 144 off 42 balls against the UAE for India A at the ACC Rising Stars tournament.

That innings placed him among Indian batters with the joint third-fastest centuries in T20 cricket.

Also Read: New Zealand Crush India By 244 Runs As Matt Henry Takes Six Wickets In 4th ODI

Bishal Singh

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