Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has become the youngest captain in men’s T20 cricket after leading Bihar against Saurashtra in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy on Saturday. Aged 15 years and 232 days, he broke the record held by Croatia’s Zach Vukusic, who captained his national side aged 17 years and 311 days. Bihar lost the match by five wickets, but the day belonged to the teenager at the toss.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi breaks record by two years
The match was played at the Holkar Stadium in Indore, where Bihar batted first and made 137 for nine in their 20 overs. Saurashtra chased the target down with 21 balls to spare, finishing on 138 for five. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi opened the batting for Bihar and made 18 from 12 balls before he was dismissed. Saurashtra were led by Jaydev Unadkat, and they won the opening match of the 2026-27 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for both sides.
The record broken by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi fell by more than two full years. Vukusic had captained Croatia against Cyprus on 7 August 2025, aged 17 years and 311 days. The previous youngest Indian to captain in an official T20 match was Mahipal Lomror, who was 18 years and 67 days old when he led Rajasthan against Jharkhand in a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Super League match in Kolkata in 2018. Third on the all-time list is Pakistan’s Taimur Ali, who led Quetta Bears in a domestic T20 match in 2009 at 17 years and 358 days.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and a fast rise
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has collected landmarks at a speed that has few parallels in Indian cricket. He became India’s youngest men’s international in July, when he made his T20 debut against England. That came less than ten months after he helped India win the Under-19 World Cup in Zimbabwe. He is also the youngest player to score a T20 century, with a 35-ball hundred for Rajasthan Royals against Gujarat Titans in the 2025 Indian Premier League season.
He already held a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy record before this match. Last year he became the youngest batter to score a century in the competition’s history, reaching the landmark in 58 balls against Maharashtra. The captaincy adds a different kind of record to that list, one based on age rather than batting. Bihar named him captain when it announced its squad for the tournament, with Suraj Kashyap as vice-captain, and the appointment covered the first two matches of the competition.
Bihar went into the tournament short of form. The side had lost four matches in a row in the first half of the 2026-27 Ranji Trophy season, and the selectors turned to Sooryavanshi for the white-ball leg. His presence gives Bihar a player who has already played international cricket and the Indian Premier League, even though he is still 15. The Saurashtra match was his first as captain of a senior side.
What next for Bihar and Sooryavanshi
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will not be with Bihar for long in this tournament. He is available for one more match after the Saurashtra game, and then he joins the India A squad for the ACC Rising Stars Emerging tournament in Doha. That competition, played in the 50-over format, begins on 19 November. His call-up there follows his work with the India A set-up, and it means Bihar will need a new captain after two matches.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has also been named vice-captain of East Zone for the 2026-27 Duleep Trophy, serving as deputy to Ishan Kishan. The appointments show how quickly the domestic system has moved him into leadership roles, even while he is still playing age-group cricket in other formats. For Bihar, the next match is a chance to recover from the opening defeat, and for Sooryavanshi it is one more game before he leaves for Doha.
Bihar made 137 for nine in Indore, and Saurashtra passed the total with 21 balls to spare to win by five wickets. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made 18 from 12 balls on his captaincy debut. At 15 years and 232 days, he is now the youngest captain in men’s T20 cricket, more than two years younger than the player whose record he broke.