Teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has earned his maiden India call-up on the back of his exploits in the T20 IPL competition [Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters]By Al Jazeera Staff, AFP and ReutersPublished On 6 Jun 20266 Jun 2026
The 15-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been called up for India’s upcoming Twenty20 international series against Ireland and England, the country’s cricket board (BCCI) announced on Saturday.
Wonderkid Sooryavanshi comes into the India squad fresh off a breakout campaign in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in which he topped the scoring charts with 776 runs, smashing a hundred and five half-centuries in 16 matches.
The left-handed opening batter also broke Chris Gayle’s record for most sixes in a season.
His performances for the Rajasthan Royals made him the first player in IPL history to be named both the Most Valuable Player (MVP) and the Best Emerging Player, with many tipping him for a spot in the senior Twenty20 International side.
Should Sooryavanshi go on to make his debut against either Ireland or England, he would become the youngest player to represent an Indian men’s senior team, bettering great Sachin Tendulkar, who made his debut aged 16.
“We’ve seen what he can do, towards playoffs, almost single-handedly carried Rajasthan Royals,” selection panel chairman Ajit Agarkar told reporters.
“Not just this season, [he] had a great start, and to back it up in a competition that is as competitive and high-pressure, he’s a game-changer.
“We’ve got high hopes of him, and he has picked himself.”
Agarkar added that Shreyas Iyer, who replaces Suryakumar Yadav as the new captain, had been appointed after guiding Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title in 2024.
Iyer, who last played a T20 international in December 2023, also captained Punjab Kings to a runners-up finish in 2025 and into the playoffs this year.
“Led a team to (IPL) title, and his own performances [have] been good. He was close to being part of the World Cup squad, in my opinion, was a ‘stand-out candidate’,” Agarkar added.
A poor run of form has led to Suryakaumar losing his captaincy just three months after leading India to the T20 World Cup triumph on home soil.
The 35-year-old scored just 242 runs in nine innings at the T20 World Cup, with his unbeaten 84 against the United States the only significant knock.
Playing for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL, he managed only 270 runs in 13 innings at an average of 20.76, as his team finished second-bottom.
“It’s a tough one (to remove Suryakumar), having just won the World Cup, but as it happens after most World Cups, you try and reassess what your best way forward is,” said Agarkar.
India play Ireland in two T20Is later this month, before a five-match series against England in July.
The BCCI also named their squad for this year’s men’s cricket competition at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, which includes veteran bowler Jasprit Bumrah.
The Asian Games men’s competition will begin on September 24, with the final scheduled for October 3.
T20I Squad for Ireland and England series: 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
Squad for Asian Games: 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 Sooryavanshi
