Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, 15, Becomes Youngest Captain in Men’s T20 Cricket as Bihar Lose

Saurashtra beat Bihar by five wickets in Indore on 14 November, the opening day of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, in a match that put a new name in the record books. Bihar's captain at the Holkar Stadium was Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, aged 15 years and 232 days, and no one younger has led a side in a men's T20 match.

The mark he passed was set in 2025 by Zach Vukusic, who was 17 years and 311 days old when he captained Croatia in a T20 international. Sooryavanshi took the record by a margin of more than two years.

The match

Sooryavanshi won the toss and chose to bat. He made 18 from 12 balls before being caught and bowled by Saurashtra’s left-arm pace bowler Chetan Sakariya, and Bihar finished on 137 for 9. Saurashtra reached the target with five wickets in hand.

What comes next

Bihar named Sooryavanshi captain in the week before the tournament, when they announced their squad, but he will not lead them throughout the group stage. He is due to play one more match for Bihar before joining the India A squad for the Asia Cup Rising Stars tournament, which starts in Doha on 19 November.

The appointment adds to a fast rise. Sooryavanshi made his T20 international debut for India against England earlier this year, becoming India’s youngest senior international debutant, and he had already been named vice-captain of East Zone for the Duleep Trophy behind Ishan Kishan.

Saurashtra’s win was part of the opening round of the 2026-27 tournament, which began on 14 November.