Vaibhav Sooryavanshi creates history as youngest-ever captain in men's T20 cricket, leads Bihar in SMAT

Indian batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi added another remarkable achievement to his growing cricket career on Saturday, becoming the youngest-ever captain in men's T20 cricket history. The 15-year-old achieved the milestone when he walked out for the toss as Bihar's captain in their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2026-27 opener against Saurashtra at the Holkar Stadium in Indore.

Aged 15 years and 232 days, Sooryavanshi broke the previous record held by Croatia's Zac Vukusic, who had captained his national side at the age of 17 years and 311 days in 2025.

Bihar won the toss and elected to bat first against Saurashtra in their tournament opener. Speaking after the toss, Sooryavanshi expressed his happiness at being handed the responsibility of leading his state side. "It's a dream come true to be leading Bihar. I am very grateful for this opportunity," Sooryavanshi said.

The Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) had named the youngster captain when it announced its squad for the domestic T20 tournament last week. However, he is set to lead the side only in the first two matches before joining the India A squad for the upcoming Rising Stars Asia Cup in Qatar, beginning November 19.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's previous leadership experience

This is not Sooryavanshi's first leadership assignment in domestic cricket. Earlier, he was appointed vice-captain of the East Zone team for the 2026-27 Duleep Trophy, serving as deputy to Ishan Kishan.

However, his appointment to a leadership position at such a young age also attracted some criticism. Legendary Indian batter Sachin Tendulkar had previously expressed concerns about giving the youngster additional responsibilities so early in his career.

During an Ask Me Anything session on Reddit, Tendulkar said it was too early for Sooryavanshi to become vice-captain in the Duleep Trophy and emphasised the importance of allowing him to gain more experience in red-ball cricket.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's impressive cricket journey

Sooryavanshi has quickly established himself as one of India's most exciting young batting prospects. He has already made headlines with his aggressive batting in domestic cricket and the Indian Premier League.

The left-handed batter also holds the record for the youngest century in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy history, having scored a 58-ball hundred against Maharashtra last year. He is also the youngest player to register a T20 century, achieving the feat with a 35-ball hundred for Rajasthan Royals against Gujarat Titans in IPL 2025.

More recently, Sooryavanshi featured in two T20Is during India's tour of New Zealand, scoring 49 runs. He also shared an explosive opening partnership with Abhishek Sharma in the third T20I, with the duo helping India register a record powerplay score of 118 runs.