Vaibhav Sooryavanshi set to captain Bihar for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

Patna: Teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will lead Bihar's senior team for the first time after being named captain of the 17-member squad for the opening two matches of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) announced on Friday. This will make him the youngest cricketer to captain a senior state squad.

"Vaibhav has already demonstrated tremendous talent, confidence and maturity at a young age. We are hopeful that under his leadership, the team will deliver a disciplined and competitive performance," he said. Sooryavanshi, who represents Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, has also made his India debut in T20Is, having played 10 matches so far.

Bihar are in Group B alongside Delhi, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Railways, Saurashtra and Tamil Nadu. They will begin their campaign against Saurashtra on November 14 in Indore. BCA president Harsh Vardhan said the captaincy would provide Sooryavanshi a chance to grow as a leader.

He was the top run-scorer in IPL 2026, tallying 776 runs in 16 innings at a staggering strike rate of over 237. He also smashed a match-winning 175 off 80 balls to guide India to a 100-run victory over England in the Under-19 World Cup final.

The left-hander recently featured in the third T20 International against New Zealand, scoring 45 off 19 balls in an opening stand of 133 with Abhishek Sharma.
(With PTI inputs).