Top News

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi appointed East Zone vice-captain for Duleep Trophy 2026-27
29 Jul 2026

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been appointed as the vice-captain of the East Zone team for the upcoming Duleep Trophy 2026-27.

The 15-year-old batting prodigy will be playing in this zonal competition for the first time.

He will be partnering with Ishan Kishan, who will lead the squad that also includes pacers Mohammed Shami and Mukesh Kumar.

Sooryavanshi's rise in Indian cricket
Rising star

Sooryavanshi, a left-handed opener from Bihar, has quickly become one of the most talked-about young talents in Indian cricket.

His aggressive strokeplay and ability to score quickly have earned him recognition at a very young age.

The leadership responsibility as vice-captain underlines the faith placed in his maturity.

He recently made his international debut for India against England and scored an impressive 81 runs in the third T20I against Zimbabwe.

Sooryavanshi's stellar performances
Career highlights

Sooryavanshi was part of India's Under-19 World Cup-winning side in Zimbabwe, where he scored 175 in the final against England.

He has also been a consistent performer in domestic cricket, with notable scores of 97 and 96 in IPL 2026 Eliminator and Qualifier 2 matches against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals, respectively.

His appointment as vice-captain could be one of the most interesting storylines of the tournament.

Key details of East Zone squad for Duleep Trophy
Team composition

The East Zone team for the Duleep Trophy also includes experienced India fast bowler Shami.

Other notable players in the squad are Bengal opener Abhimanyu Easwaran, Jharkhand's Kumar Kushagra, Anukul Roy, Virat Singh, and Shikhar Mohan.

Odisha's Subhranshu Senapati and Assam's Denish Das add further depth to the middle order.

The team will play its first match against North Zone on August 23 at Bengaluru's Centre of Excellence.

Here's the complete East Zone squad
Squad

East Zone squad: Abhimanyu Easwaran (Bengal), Sudip Gharami (Bengal), Shahbaz Ahmed (Bengal), Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal (Bengal), Mohammed Shami (Bengal), Mukesh Kumar (Bengal), Ishan Kishan (c) (Jharkhand), Kumar Kushagra (wk) (Jharkhand), Shikhar Mohan (Jharkhand), Anukul Roy (Jharkhand), Virat Singh (Jharkhand), Subhranshu Senapati (Odisha), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (vc) (Bihar), Denish Das (Assam) and Abhijit Sarkar (Assam); Stand-by: Ayush Loharuka (Bihar), Sridam Paul (Tripura), Sambit Baral (Odisha), Swastik Samal (Odisha) and Sharandeep Singh (Jharkhand).