Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to lead Bihar as BCA names 17-member squad

The Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) on Friday (Nov 6) announced a 17-member squad for the opening two matches of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy, organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Young batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been named captain, while Suraj Kashyap appointed as his deputy. This will be the first time Vaibhav leads Bihar’s senior team as captain in the tournament.

Bihar have been placed in Group B along with Delhi, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Railways, Saurashtra and Tamil Nadu. They will open their campaign against Saurashtra in Indore on Nov 14.

BCA president Harsh Vardhan also welcomed the decision and expressed confidence in the young captain.

“Vaibhav has already demonstrated tremendous talent, confidence and maturity at a young age, and this responsibility will provide him with another opportunity to grow as a cricketer and leader. We are hopeful that under Vaibhav’s leadership, the team will deliver a disciplined, competitive and effective performance while representing the state in the upcoming season,” he said.

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The BCA senior selection committee finalised the squad on Nov 6 after reviewing players’ performances in trials and previous matches. The trials were held from Nov 4 to 6.

Selection committee chairman Harvinder Singh and member Amitabh Vijayvargiya attended the meeting, while selector S. Sarath joined over the phone.

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Bihar squad for SMAT 2026

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (Captain), Alok Kumar, Ayush Loharuka (Wicketkeeper), Altamash Ashraf, Param Kumar Singh, Anmol Kumar (Wicketkeeper), Ritwik Raj, Suraj Kashyap (Vice-Captain), Mayank Kumar, Raghvendra Pratap, Ashish Kumar, Vasudev Pratap Singh, Mohammad Izhar, Amod Yadav, Prashant Singh, Nawaz Khan and Himanshu Singh