Vaibhav Suryavanshi has been named Bihar's vice-captain for the first two rounds of the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season that kicks off on October 15. The squad will be led by batter Sakibul Gani. According to the Espncricinfo report, the appointments came just two days before the start of the season after the Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) made last last-ditch effort to appoint a selector, on an ad hoc basis. The BCA has been directed to appoint a five-member selection panel at the earliest.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi makes history
At 14 years, he is the youngest in Ranji Trophy history to be named the vice-captain of state team. The decision to promote Suryavanshi to vice captaincy comes on the back of his brilliant form for India Under-19 on the recent tour of Australia.
On his maiden tour down under, the opener let his bat do the talking, smashing a 78-ball century in the first four-day match in Brisbane. He finished as the second-highest run-scorer of the multi-day series, scoring 133 runs in three innings as India won 2-0.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi's performance
Suryavanshi earned this leadership role on the back of an outstanding form for the India Under-19 team, notably scoring a 78-ball century in Brisbane during a tour of Australia and finishing as the second-highest run-scorer in the series. Earlier, he scored the fastest century in youth one-day internationals (143 runs) in England, amassing 355 runs at a strike rate of 174.01 across five matches.
Despite having played only five first-class matches since his debut at 12 years and 284 days old, with a cumulative 100 runs in 10 innings, Suryavanshi's remarkable talent has brought him to the forefront. In 2025, he became the youngest centurion in men's T20 cricket, hitting 101 runs off 38 balls for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL at age 14. He played seven IPL games that season, scoring 252 runs at a strike rate of 206.55.
Will Vaibhav Suryavanshi play the entire Ranji Trophy season?
Bihar, having had a poor 2024-25 season, will rely heavily on Suryavanshi's emerging leadership and batting prowess as they compete in the Plate league. However, he may not play the entire Ranji season due to involvement in India's Under-19 World Cup squad preparations for early 2026.
Bihar Ranji Trophy 2025-26 squad
Piyush Kumar Singh, Bhashkar Dubey, Sakibul Gani (capt), Vaibhav Suryavanshi (vice-capt), Arnav Kishor, Ayush Loharuka, Bipin Saurabh, Amod Yadav, Nawaz Khan, Sakib Hussain, Raghvendra Pratap Singh, Sachin Kumar Singh, Himanshu Singh, Khalid Alam, Sachin Kumar
