Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, 15-year-old sensation, called up to India’s T20 squad

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, 15-year-old sensation, called up to India’s T20 squadFresh off his heroics in the IPL, teenage sensation Sooryavanshi has been called up to India’s T20 squad and could become their youngest debutant in history.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]Published On 6 Jun 2026The 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.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Pakistan’s Fatima Sana breaks world record for fastest 50 in women’s T20Ilist 2 of 3‘Freakish’: Cricket world heaps praise on India’s ‘wonder boy’ Sooryavanshilist 3 of 3Kohli powers Bengaluru to ‘stuff of dreams’ back-to-back IPL titlesend of listThe 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.Wonderkid Vaibhav Sooryavanshi took the IPL 2026 by storm [Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters]‘Game changer’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.Shreyas Iyer is the new captain of India’s T20 international squad [Abhijit Addya/Reuters]‘Best way forward’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.“We thought this was the best way forward.”Suryakumar Yadav captained India to a successful defence of the T20 World Cup, but had a poor individual performance at the tournament, which ultimately cost him his captaincy and place in the squad [Amit Dave/Reuters]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 SooryavanshiSquad 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