Sooryavanshi becomes youngest men's T20 captain in Bihar opener

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi became the youngest captain in top-level men's Twenty20 cricket on Saturday when he led Bihar against Saurashtra in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. At 15 years and 232 days, he surpassed Croatia's Zach Vukusic, who had captained at 17 years and 311 days, according to BBC Sport.

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The record did not bring a winning start to Bihar's campaign. BBC Sport reported that Saurashtra won by five wickets, while Sooryavanshi scored 18 from 12 balls. The match was Bihar's opener in India's domestic state T20 competition, a tournament separate from the Indian Premier League in which the teenager has already established himself.

The Times of India reported that the game took place at Holkar Stadium in Indore, with Bihar choosing to bat after winning the toss. Saurashtra were captained by Jaydev Unadkat. Bihar had named Sooryavanshi to lead only their first two matches, rather than appointing him for the entirety of the tournament, in a 17-player squad announced by the state association.

The captaincy milestone follows a succession of batting records. Sooryavanshi became the IPL's youngest player when he debuted for Rajasthan Royals at 14 in 2025, BBC Sport reported. Later that season, a hundred against Gujarat Titans made him the youngest centurion in men's T20 cricket. He then finished this year's IPL as the competition's leading run-scorer.

His rise has also taken him into India's senior team. BBC Sport reported that his T20 debut against England in July made him the country's youngest men's international. Earlier this month, he appeared in two of India's five T20 internationals in New Zealand, with his best score of that series, 45, coming in Wellington in the third match.

Bihar appointed Suraj Kashyap vice-captain, according to the Times of India. Sooryavanshi had already served as East Zone vice-captain under Ishan Kishan in the Duleep Trophy this year. His Bihar assignment comes before an expected move to the India A squad for the Rising Stars Asia Cup in Qatar, which begins on November 19, the newspaper reported.