14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi named vice-captain

Dubai: At only 14 years old, Vaibhav Suryavanshi is making a serious mark in Indian cricket. The young batting prodigy has now been named vice-captain of Bihar’s squad for the first two rounds of the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season. He will serve as deputy to captain Sakibul Gani.

The Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) announced the appointment just two days ahead of the season opener. Bihar will kick off their campaign against Arunachal Pradesh, followed by a clash with Manipur on October 25.

Suryavanshi’s elevation comes on the back of a standout performance in Australia, where he scored a 78-ball century during the first four-day match in Brisbane. He ended the series as India’s second-highest run-scorer with 133 runs in three innings, helping the team seal a 2-0 series victory.

Despite being relatively new to first-class cricket — having debuted in January 2024 at the age of 12 years and 284 days — Suryavanshi has already shown glimpses of his talent. In five matches, he has scored 100 runs in ten innings, with a highest score of 41.

His impact was more dramatic in the IPL 2025 season, where he played seven matches for Rajasthan Royals. He racked up 252 runs at an average of 36 and a blistering strike rate of 206.55, including one century and one half-century. He grabbed headlines by becoming the youngest centurion in men’s T20s, smashing 101 off just 38 balls against Gujarat Titans in Jaipur.

While his inclusion in the Ranji squad is a major step, Suryavanshi may not feature throughout the season, as he’s also in the mix for a spot in India’s Under-19 World Cup squad scheduled for early 2026.

Squad: Piyush Kumar Singh, Bhashkar Dubey, Sakibul Gani (c), Vaibhav Suryavanshi (vc), Arnav Kishor, Ayush Loharuka, Bipin Saurabh, Amod Yadav, Nawaz Khan, Sakib Hussain, Raghvendra Pratap Singh, Sachin Kumar Singh, Himanshu Singh, Khalid Alam, Sachin Kumar.