Vaibhav Suryavanshi has been named vice-captain of Bihar for the first two rounds of the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season, starting October 15, with Sakibul Gani leading the squad.
The appointments came just two days before the season began, following a last-minute scramble by the Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) to appoint a third selector on an ad hoc basis, after a BCCI directive to form a five-member selection panel.
Suryavanshi earned this role after impressive performances for India Under-19 during their Australia tour. He scored a fast 78-ball century in the first four-day match in Brisbane and finished as the second-highest run-getter of the series with 133 runs in three innings, helping India win 2-0.
Previously, in England, Vaibhav Suryavanshi shone by hitting 143 runs recording the fastest century in youth one-dayers in Worcester this July. Across five matches, he amassed 355 runs at a strike rate of 174.01, finishing as the series’ top scorer.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi
At just 14 years old, Suryavanshi has played five first-class matches since debuting in January 2024 at the age of 12 years and 284 days. However, with India Under-19 commitments, he has yet to have an uninterrupted run in first-class cricket, accumulating 100 runs in ten innings with a highest score of 41.
Earlier in 2025, Vaibhav Suryavanshi made headlines as the youngest centurion in men’s T20s, scoring 101 off 38 balls for Rajasthan Royals against Gujarat Titans in the IPL. Having been the youngest player selected in the IPL at 13, he featured in seven IPL 2025 matches, all as an opener, scoring 252 runs with a strike rate of 206.55.
Bihar had a challenging 2024-25 Ranji season, finishing with no wins and only one point from seven games, resulting in relegation from the Plate league. They begin their 2025-26 campaign against Arunachal Pradesh in Patna, followed by Manipur in Nadiad.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi temperament and prolific run-scoring have sparked suggestions for him to join a more established first-class structure in India, though for now, BCA aims to retain him to push Bihar back into the Elite league.
He is unlikely to participate in the full Ranji season as he is also a contender for a spot in India’s Under-19 World Cup squad in 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
