Patna, November 6, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will captain Bihar’s senior team for the first time after being named skipper for the opening two matches of the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) announced a 17-member squad on Friday, with Suraj Kashyap named vice-captain.
BCA president Harsh Vardhan said the responsibility would help Sooryavanshi develop as a player and leader. He said the young batter had already demonstrated talent, confidence and maturity, and expressed hope that Bihar would deliver a disciplined and competitive performance under his leadership.
Sooryavanshi will lead the side only in its first two matches as he is scheduled to join the India A squad for the Men’s Rising Stars Asia Cup, a 50-over tournament to be held in Doha, Qatar, from November 19 to 29.
The captaincy follows a remarkable rise for the teenager. He played a key role in India’s 2026 Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup triumph, scoring 175 in the final and winning Player of the Tournament. He subsequently emerged as the leading run-scorer in IPL 2026 for Rajasthan Royals, scoring 776 runs at a strike rate of 237.30.
His performances earned him a place in India’s T20I team, making him the country’s youngest international cricketer when he debuted against England in Manchester in July. In the recent third T20I against New Zealand, Sooryavanshi and Abhishek Sharma shared a 118-run partnership without losing a wicket in the first six overs, the highest powerplay total in men’s T20Is. Sooryavanshi scored 45 off 19 balls, while Abhishek made 113 off 38 deliveries.
Overall, Sooryavanshi has scored 295 runs in 10 T20Is at an average of 29.5 and a strike rate of 185.53, including two half-centuries.
The Bihar squad was finalised by the BCA senior men’s selection committee after trials held from November 4 to 6 and a review of previous performances. Mangal Mahour and pacer Sakib Hussain have also been selected, subject to fitness. Their availability will be assessed after the first two matches. The association has additionally named 16 standby players.
Bihar will begin its campaign against Saurashtra on November 14, followed by a match against Railways on November 16. Both games will be played in Indore. The support staff of Bihar’s Ranji Trophy team will remain with the squad throughout the tournament.
Bihar Squad: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (captain), Suraj Kashyap (vice-captain), Alok Kumar, Ayush Loharuka (wicketkeeper), Altamash Ashraf, Param Kumar Singh, Anmol Kumar (wicketkeeper), Ritwik Raj, Mayank Kumar, Raghvendra Pratap, Ashish Kumar, Vasudev Pratap Singh, Mohammad Izhar, Amod Yadav, Prashant Singh, Nawaz Khan and Himanshu Singh.
Subject to Fitness: Mangal Mahour, Shakib Hussain.
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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