Vaibhav Sooryavanshi named Bihar captain for first two SMAT matches
The 15-year-old batter will lead the state team in Indore during the opening games of the 2026-27 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
The Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) has appointed Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as the captain of the Bihar team for the first two matches of the 2026-27 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT). According to The Indian Express, the 15-year-old will lead the side against Saurashtra on November 14 and Railways on November 16 in Indore. Suraj Kashyap has been named vice-captain.
Sooryavanshi's availability for the tournament is limited to these two games as he is scheduled to travel to Qatar for the 2026 Rising Stars Asia Cup. The SMAT tournament begins on November 14 and is scheduled to conclude with a final on December 6. Bihar is placed in Elite Group B alongside Delhi, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Railways, Saurashtra, and Tamil Nadu.
BCA President Harsh Vardhan said the captaincy would provide the youngster with an opportunity to develop as a cricketer and leader. He added that the association is hopeful the team will deliver a disciplined and competitive performance under Sooryavanshi's leadership.
The left-hander has had a significant year in 2026, including a Player of the Tournament performance at the Under-19 World Cup and serving as the leading run-scorer for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2026. He also recently served as vice-captain for the East Zone team during the Duleep Trophy.
The 17-member Bihar squad includes Alok Kumar, Ayush Loharuka (wk), Altamash Ashraf, Param Kumar Singh, Anmol Kumar (wk), Ritwik Raj, Mayank Kumar, Raghvendra Pratap, Ashish Kumar, Vasudev Pratap Singh, Mohammad Izhar, Amod Yadav, Prashant Singh, Nawaz Khan, and Himanshu Singh. Mangal Mahour and Shakib Hussain have been included subject to fitness.