Duleep Trophy 2026: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi named East Zone vice-captain, Ishan Kishan to lead

The 15-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi seems to be being considered seriously by the BCCI as an all-format player. He has been named the vice-captain of the East Zone squad and will be deputising leadership at the Duleep Trophy 2026. Meanwhile, star wicketkeeper-batter and Jharkhand's skipper Ishan Kishan has been chosen as the wrecker-in-chief.

The selection committee met at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata and also met Cricket Association of Bengal president Sourav Ganguly.

The East Zone selection committee has also included a plethora of players who can be a threat to the opponent at the elite tournament, which also marks the commencement of the 2026-27 domestic season in India. The East Zone squad also includes the likes of a Bengal-heavy pace attack, with Mohammed Shami being the leader of the attack alongside Mukesh Kumar and Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal.

What is more surprising is that Sooryavanshi has had a very poor first-class career thus far, adding just 207 runs in eight matches, averaging a modest 17.25. This indicates that the selection committee sees a potential beyond his batting numbers and wants the opening batter to get a taste of leadership before making his debut across formats for the senior Indian side.

"At such a young age, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi becoming the vice-captain of the East Zone team is a matter of immense pride for Bihar cricket. Through his outstanding performances and mature approach to the game, he has earned the trust of the selectors," Bihar Cricket Association president Harsh Vardhan was quoted as saying by Deccan Herald.

Apart from Sooryavanshi and Kishan, the batting unit boasts of Abhimanyu Easwaran, the experienced campaigner. Bengal's Sudip Kumar Gharami is also expected to bat in the middle order. Kumar Kushagra is expected to be the backup wicketkeeper for Ishan, while Shahbaz Ahmed and Anukul Roy are two of the spin-bowling all-rounders.

East Zone full squad for Duleep Trophy 2026:

Ishan Kishan (captain & wicketkeeper), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (vc), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sudip Kumar Gharami, Shahbaz Ahmed, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Mohammed Shami, Mukesh Kumar, Kumar Kushagra (wicketkeeper), Shikjar Mohan, Anukul Roy, Virat Singh, Subhransu Senapati, Denish Das, Abhijit Sarkar