Vaibhav Sooryavanshi becomes youngest T20 cricket captain in SMAT debut
The 15-year-old Bihar skipper set a world record before scoring 18 against Saurashtra in Indore.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi became the youngest captain in men's T20 cricket history on Saturday when he led Bihar against Saurashtra in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. At 15 years and 232 days, Sooryavanshi surpassed the previous record held by Croatia's Zach Vukusic, who was 17 years and 311 days old when he captained his national side in August 2025, according to News18.
The match, held at the Holkar Stadium in Indore, saw Bihar elect to bat first. Opening the innings, Sooryavanshi scored 18 runs from 12 balls before being caught by bowler Chetan Sakariya. Bihar finished their innings at 137 for nine, with Prithvi Raj top-scoring with 38 runs.
Saurashtra successfully chased the target, reaching the score in 16.3 overs to win by five wickets. Harvansh Pangalia contributed 33 runs off 11 balls, while Ruchit Ahir and Siddhant Rana remained unbeaten on 21 each. Sakariya and Prerak Mankad took three wickets each for the visitors.
Sooryavanshi's captaincy appointment for the first two matches follows his recent appearances for the Indian team. He was also named vice-captain of East Zone for the 2026-27 Duleep Trophy.
In other Group B action, Punjab secured a four-wicket win over Haryana in Indore. Vihaan Malhotra scored 86 runs off 50 balls as Punjab chased down a target of 191 with five balls to spare. In Group C, Puducherry beat Maharashtra by 15 runs after posting 204 for nine.