Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Becomes Youngest Captain in Men's T20 Cricket
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has become the youngest captain in top-level men's Twenty20 cricket, after taking charge of Bihar, according to BBC Sport. He was 15 years and 232 days old when he led the side.
Twenty20, or T20, is the short form of the game, with each team batting for 20 overs. The previous record was held by Zach Vukusic, who captained Croatia at 17 years and 311 days.
Bihar's first match in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy ended in defeat. Saurashtra won by five wickets. The tournament is India's state T20 competition, sitting below the Indian Premier League (IPL), the country's franchise league featuring city-based teams. Sooryavanshi scored 18 runs from 12 balls in the match.
He is no stranger to records. He became India's youngest men's international when he made his T20 debut against England in July. He had already made his IPL debut for Rajasthan Royals in 2025, aged 14. He also scored a hundred against Gujarat Titans, the youngest century in men's T20 cricket.
He has also played for the senior side. He appeared in two of India's five T20 internationals in New Zealand, and his best score there was 45, in the third match in Wellington.
Next, he is due to be part of India's squad at the Rising Stars Asia Cup in Doha. That is a 50-over tournament for developing players, with overs of a longer format than T20.
Captaining a team asks for more than scoring runs. A captain sets the field, picks the bowlers and makes calls under pressure while also batting. Bihar's opening defeat was the first match under his leadership, and the rest of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy will show how that new role develops.
