Vaibhav Sooryavanshi breaks men's T20 world record at 15 years and 232 days

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (BCCI Photo)

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi on Saturday became the youngest captain in men's T20 cricket history when he led Bihar in their opening match of the 2026-27 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy against Saurashtra at the Holkar Stadium in Indore.At 15 years and 232 days, Sooryavanshi broke the record previously held by Croatia's Zach Vukusic, who captained his national side in a T20 International at the age of 17 years and 311 days last year. Bihar won the toss and elected to bat against Saurashtra, who were led by Jaydev Unadkat.

The Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) announced a 17-member squad last Friday, naming Sooryavanshi captain for the first two matches of the tournament.

Suraj Kashyap was appointed vice-captain.This is not Sooryavanshi's first leadership role this year. He was named vice-captain of East Zone for the 2026-27 Duleep Trophy, serving as deputy to Ishan Kishan.With this appointment, Sooryavanshi has moved ahead of several young captains to set the record. Vukusic now stands second on the list after leading Croatia against Cyprus on August 7, 2025, at the age of 17 years and 311 days.

Sooryavanshi last played during India's T20I tour of New Zealand, where he featured in two matches and scored 49 runs. Although he has been named Bihar captain for the first two matches of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he is likely to join the India A squad for the Rising Stars Asia Cup in Qatar, which begins on November 19.The 15-year-old already holds two other records in T20 cricket. Last year, he became the youngest batter to score a century in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy history, reaching the landmark in 58 balls against Maharashtra.He is also the youngest player to score a T20 century, having smashed a 35-ball hundred for Rajasthan Royals against Gujarat Titans in the 2025 IPL season.