Patna: The Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) on Friday announced a 17-member squad for Bihar's opening two matches of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy, organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been appointed captain, while Suraj Kashyap will serve as vice-captain. This will be the first time Sooryavanshi's leads Bihar's senior team, as the side prepares to begin its campaign in the upcoming tournament under his leadership, according to a release by BCA.
Speaking about the development, BCA president Harsh Vardhan said, "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 Sooryavanshi's leadership, the team will deliver a disciplined, competitive and effective performance while representing the state in the upcoming season."
The senior selection committee of the Bihar Cricket Association met on November 6, 2026 to finalise the squad after evaluating players' trials and previous performances. Selection committee chairman Harvinder Singh and member Amitabh Vijayvargiya were present at the meeting, while selector S. Sarath participated over the telephone. Following the trials conducted from 4 to 6 November and a review of the players' performances, the squad was finalised.The 17-member Bihar squad comprises 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.Additionally, the selection of Mangal Mahour and Shakib Hussain will be subject to their fitness. As per the selection committee's decision, their fitness will be assessed after the first two matches, following which a final decision regarding their availability for the team will be taken.
The following players have been named as standbys: Bipin Saurabh, Suman Kumar, Akash Raj, Khalid Alam, Bhaskar Dubey, Kumar Rajnish, Suyash, Abhijeet Saket, Yashasvi Rishabh, Lakhan Raja, Pawan Kumar, Amit Chaudhary, Piyush Singh, Bhanu Kumar, Lokesh Babulal Kumar and Prashant Srivastava.Bihar will begin its campaign in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with its opening two matches scheduled to be played in Indore from November 14, 2026 against Saurashtra and Railways. The support staff associated with Bihar's Ranji Trophy team will continue with the squad throughout the tournament. Additionally, selection committee chairman Harvinder Singh and member Amitabh Vijayvargiya will be present in Indore to observe the team's matches.