At just 15 years old, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been entrusted with the captaincy of Bihar’s team for the forthcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, a 20-over domestic competition. This marks his first role as an official captain, although he has previously served as vice-captain for Bihar in the Ranji Trophy and East Zone in the Duleep Trophy.
Sooryavanshi recently had the chance to step in as East Zone’s skipper during a brief absence of their captain, Ishan Kishan, in the Duleep Trophy final this September in Chennai.
The Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) confirmed the squad after a meeting on 6th November, following trials held from the 4th to the 6th. Player selection was based on both trial performances and past achievements, solidifying the team for their initial matches.
Sooryavanshi’s recent tour in New Zealand provided limited opportunities, where he posted scores of 4 and 45 in two innings of a five-match T20I series. However, a notable moment came during the third T20I in Wellington, where his dynamic partnership with Abhishek Sharma contributed to India achieving a record-breaking 118 runs in the first six overs – the highest powerplay score in men’s T20 internationals.
With a record of playing 44 T20 matches, including seven for Bihar, Sooryavanshi impressed with an unbeaten 108 off 61 balls against Maharashtra in last year’s edition of the trophy at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
There remains some uncertainty surrounding the availability of fast bowler Sakib Hussain for the tournament. Hussain, who gained attention in IPL 2025, has not participated in competitive cricket since his stint with Sunrisers Hyderabad earlier in the year, and his participation is dependent on passing a fitness test.
Bihar’s season has stumbled with setbacks, losing all four of their matches in the first phase of the Ranji Trophy. The team aims for a resurgence under Sooryavanshi’s leadership, beginning their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy journey against Saurashtra in Indore on 14th November.
The Bihar squad comprises: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (captain), Alok Kumar, Ayush Loharuka (wicketkeeper), Altamish Ashraf, Tarun Kumar Singh, Anmol Kumar (wicketkeeper), Prithvi Raj, Suraj Kashyap (vice-captain), Mayank Kumar, Raghavendra Pratap, Ashish Kumar, Vasudev Prasad Singh, Mohammad Izhar, Amol Yadav, Prashant Singh, Nawaz Khan, and Himanshu Singh.
