Fifteen-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi leads Bihar in domestic T20 tournament opener

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi stepped out for the toss on Saturday as the new captain of the Bihar cricket team for their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy opening match.

Record and Match Details

At just 15 years and 232 days old, Sooryavanshi breaks the global record to become the youngest player ever to lead a men's T20 team. The landmark match takes place against Saurashtra, led by Jaydev Unadkat, at the Holkar Stadium in Indore after Bihar won the toss and chose to bat. He surpasses the previous record set last year by Croatia player Zach Vukusic, who captained his national side at 17 years and 311 days old.

Team Roles and Upcoming Schedule

The Bihar Cricket Association named a seventeen-member squad last Friday, giving the young opening batsman the leadership role for the first pair of fixtures while appointing Suraj Kashyap as his deputy. This marks another leadership role for the teenager, who previously served as the vice-captain for East Zone under Ishan Kishan in the Duleep Trophy earlier this year. He recently played two games on India's T20 International tour to New Zealand and scored forty-nine runs, though he is expected to join the India A squad for the Rising Stars Asia Cup in Qatar starting November nineteen.

Past Achievements

The young batsman already holds several major milestones in the sport, including setting the record last year as the youngest player to score a century in this domestic tournament with a fifty-eight-ball knock against Maharashtra. He also holds the all-time record as the youngest T20 centurion anywhere, having hit a thirty-five-ball hundred for the Rajasthan Royals against the Gujarat Titans in the 2025 Indian Premier League season.

Context

Domestic T20 tournaments in India serve as key scouting grounds where young talent can prove their match readiness against seasoned professionals. Leadership responsibilities at such an early age highlight how rapidly modern cricket systems are investing in rising youth prospects for both domestic and international pathways.