India selectors poised to fast-track 15-year-old Sooryavanshi amid captaincy shake-up
The Board of Control for Cricket in India is expected to name a T20 squad on Saturday that could feature Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as the youngest international player, while current captain Suryakumar Yadav faces removal following a period of inconsistent performance.
India’s cricket selectors are scheduled to convene in Mumbai on Saturday to finalise the T20 squad for the upcoming series in Ireland and England. The meeting is expected to precipitate a significant generational shift in the national team, with 15-year-old batsman Vaibhav Sooryavanshi poised for selection. A successful selection would see Sooryavanshi become India’s youngest-ever international player, surpassing the record held by Sachin Tendulkar, who made his Test debut at 16 years and 205 days in 1989.
Sooryavanshi’s rapid ascent follows a dominant Indian Premier League (IPL) season with the Rajasthan Royals. The left-handed opener topped the batting charts with 776 runs, including one century and five half-centuries. His individual performance earned him the tournament’s Orange Cap, the Most Valuable Player award, and the Emerging Player of the Season title, despite his team narrowly missing the final. He has also been included in a 30-member 'probables' list for the Asian Games in Japan, scheduled for September and October.
Concurrently, the selection committee is addressing a leadership vacuum within the current squad. Current T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav is likely to be dropped from the side and stripped of the captaincy. Yadav, who led India to World Cup glory at home approximately three months prior, has struggled with form. In the recent World Cup, he scored 242 runs in nine innings, with his unbeaten 84 against the United States being his highest score.
Yadav’s struggles were further evidenced during the IPL, where he scored 270 runs in 13 innings for the Mumbai Indians at an average of 20.76. The Mumbai Indians finished ninth in the 10-team table. Indian media have described the potential removal of Yadav as a “tough call” for selectors, noting that he has not played a T20 for India since December 2023.
The search for a new captain has narrowed the field to Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, and Tilak Varma. Iyer is viewed as a strong contender due to his recent administrative success, having captained Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title in 2024 and led Punjab Kings to a runners-up finish in 2025. The selectors will announce the final squad for the two matches in Ireland and five games in England over the weekend.
