Online Sports Desk
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been named the captain of the senior Bihar men’s team. He will lead the side in their first two matches of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2026. The Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) announced a 17-member squad for the matches, starting November 14. Bihar take on Saurashtra in their campaign opener. On November 16, the side faces Railways. The opportunity to lead the state team comes at a crucial time for the 15-year-old Sooryavanshi, who is fighting hard to seal a place in India’s T20I side.
While announcing the 17-member squad on Friday, BCA named Suraj Kashyap as the side’s vice-captain. BCA president Harsh Vardhan said the role would aid Sooryavanshi’s development as a player.
“Vaibhav has already demonstrated tremendous talent, confidence and maturity at a young age, and this responsibility will provide him with another opportunity to grow as a cricketer and leader.
“We are hopeful that under Vaibhav’s leadership, the team will deliver a disciplined, competitive and effective performance while representing the state in the upcoming season,” he said, as quoted by IANS.
The captaincy comes on the back of a remarkable rise for Sooryavanshi. After helping India win the 2026 Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup by hitting 175 in the final and becoming Player of the Tournament, the left-handed batter became the leading run-getter in IPL 2026 while turning out for the Rajasthan Royals, with 776 runs coming at a strike rate of 237.30.
Those exploits earned him a place in the India T20I side, and he became the youngest international cricketer for the country by making his debut in the second game against England in Manchester in July. In the recent third T20I against New Zealand, Sooryavanshi and Abhishek Sharma put on 118 without loss in the first six overs, the highest powerplay total in men’s T20Is.
Bihar’s squad was finalised at a meeting of the BCA’s senior men’s selection committee on Friday after trials held from November 4 to 6 and a review of past performances. Committee Chairman Harvinder Singh and member Amitabh Vijayvargiya attended the meeting, while selector S. Sarath joined via a telephonic call.
Mangal Mahour and pacer Shakib Hussain have also been picked, but subject to fitness. The selectors will assess them after the first two games before deciding whether they are available to play. Interestingly, the BCA has also named 16 standby players.
The support staff of the state’s Ranji Trophy team will remain with the side for the whole tournament, while Harvinder and Vijayvargiya will travel to Indore to watch the matches.
Bihar squad
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (captain), Suraj Kashyap (vice-captain), Alok Kumar, Ayush Loharuka (wk), Altamash Ashraf, Param Kumar Singh, Anmol Kumar (wk), Ritwik Raj, Mayank Kumar, Raghvendra Pratap, Ashish Kumar, Vasudev Pratap Singh, Mohammad Izhar, Amod Yadav, Prashant Singh, Nawaz Khan, Himanshu Singh.
