India’s 15-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been called up for the upcoming Twenty20 international series against Ireland and England, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Saturday.
Wonderkid Sooryavanshi joined the Indian squad fresh off his breakthrough in the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he topped the run-scoring charts with 776 runs in 16 matches, breaking a record of 15 and a half matches.
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The left-handed opening batter also broke Chris Gayle’s record for most hits in a season.
His performances with Rajasthan Royals made him the first player in IPL history to be named both the Most Valuable Player (MVP) and Best Emerging Player of the Year, and many are tipping him for a spot in the senior Twenty20 International squad.
“Game changer”
If Sooryavanshi makes his debut against Ireland or England, he will become the youngest player to represent the Indian men’s senior team, surpassing the great Sachin Tendulkar, who made his debut at the age of 16.
“We have seen what he can do as he has almost single-handedly led the Rajasthan Royals towards the playoffs,” selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar told reporters.
“Not only this season, (he’s) off to a great start. He’s a game-changer, proving that in competitive, high-pressure competitions.
“We have high expectations for him, but he made his own choice.”
Agarkar added that Shreyas Iyer, who will replace Suryakumar Yadav as the new captain, was appointed after leading Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title in 2024.
Iyer, who last played a T20 international in December 2023, also captained Punjab Kings, who finished runners-up in 2025 and reached the playoffs this year.
“He led the team to the (IPL) title and his own performance was good. In my opinion, he was close to being part of the World Cup squad and was an ‘outstanding candidate’,” Agarkar added.
“The best way forward”
Just three months after leading India to victory in the T20 World Cup on home soil, Suryakaumal has been forced to lose his captaincy due to poor form.
The 35-year-old scored just 242 runs in nine innings in the T20 World Cup, with his unbeaten 84 runs against the United States being the only serious blow.
Playing for Mumbai Indians in the IPL, he conceded just 270 runs at an average of 20.76 runs in 13 innings as the team finished second from bottom.
“Having just won the World Cup, it will be difficult (to remove Suryakumar), but as it happens after most World Cups, you try to re-evaluate what is the best way to move forward,” Agarkar said.
“We thought this was the best way forward.”
India will play two T20Is against Ireland later this month, followed by a five-match series against England in July.
The BCCI has also named veteran bowler Jasprit Bumrah in its squad for this year’s men’s cricket competition at the Asian Games to be held in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan.
The men’s Asian Games competition begins on September 24th, with the final scheduled for October 3rd.
Ireland and England series T20I squad: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Nitish Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Asian Games Representative: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Soyavanshi
