In a surprising move just days before the start of the Ranji Trophy season, 14-year-old cricket prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi has been named the vice-captain of the Bihar squad for the first two matches. The announcement, made late Sunday night, sees batter Sakibul Gani appointed as captain of the 15-member team, which begins its Plate Group campaign on October 15 against Arunachal Pradesh in Patna.
The selection was made under unusual circumstances, as the Bihar Cricket Association, BCA has been operating with an understaffed selection committee. A BCA official confirmed that a stop-gap appointment was made with the BCCI's approval to meet the deadline. "As we were in constant talk with BCCI, a stop-gap arrangement was made as per the Board’s directive... This has been done with BCCI’s approval as Ranji Trophy is only a couple of days away, and we need to field a team," the official stated.
Suryavanshi's promotion is backed by a phenomenal year in which he burst onto the scene in the IPL, becoming the youngest player to feature in the league and later smashing a 38-ball century for Rajasthan Royals. He continued this rich vein of form on India U-19 tours, finishing as the highest run-scorer in England with a fastest-ever youth ODI century, and scoring a 78-ball hundred in a Youth Test in Australia.
Despite his success in white-ball and age-group cricket, Suryavanshi's first-class career is still in its early stages. Since making his debut in January 2024 at the age of 12, he has played five matches, scoring 100 runs. His availability for the entire Ranji season is also uncertain, as he is a strong contender for a spot in India's squad for the U-19 World Cup in early 2026.
Bihar, who were relegated after a winless campaign last season, will be hoping the new leadership duo can inspire a turnaround. After their opener against Arunachal Pradesh, the team will travel to Nadiad to face Manipur in their second match, starting October 25.