Vaibhav Sooryavanshi named captain as Bihar names squad for SMAT 2026/27

The Indian domestic season is already underway with Irani Cup was the first tournament that was played and now the Ranji Trophy has been ongoing. Amidst this, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy is set to take place, starting on November 14, 2026, and running through December 6, 2026. Ahead of the tournament, Bihar has announced its squad, with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi named captain.

The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) is India’s premier domestic Twenty20 cricket tournament, organized annually by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and named after the legendary Indian Test cricketer Syed Mushtaq Ali. From this tournament there are several players after good performances have went on to play the IPL and team India as well.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi named as captain for SMAT

The Bihar Cricket Association has named a 17-member squad for the SMAT, with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi named captain. This is a big step forward for the boy wonder, who is just 15 years old and has experience leading the East Zone side, while Ishan Kishan was absent during the tournament. He was the vice-captain of the side in the Duleep Trophy.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is the youngest player to captain a team in a tournament. No other player at the age of 15 has ever achieved this milestone. He previously made headlines as the youngest player to score a century in the tournament in the last edition when he was just 14. He would look to create history and make a mark with his leadership.

Has Vaibhav Sooryavanshi led the side previously?

Previously, in January 2026, he captained the India U19 cricket team in the opening match of the 3-match Youth ODI series at Willowmoore Park in Benoni, becoming the youngest player in the world to captain a side in Youth ODIs. He was also the vice-captain of the U-19 side that won the World Cup.

The 15-year-old boy wonder was also the vice-captain of the Bihar team during the initial phase

Bihar Team for SMAT: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (Captain), Alok Kumar, Ayush Loharuka (Wicketkeeper), Altamash Ashraf, Param Kumar Singh, Anmol Kumar (Wicketkeeper), Ritwik Raj, Suraj Kashyap (Vice-Captain), Mayank Kumar, Raghvendra Pratap, Ashish Kumar, Vasudev Pratap Singh, Mohammad Izhar, Amod Yadav, Prashant Singh, Nawaz Khan and Himanshu Singh.

MORE TO FOLLOW...