The Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) has announced its senior team for the first two matches of the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season, naming 14 players. Fourteen-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi has been appointed vice-captain, serving alongside captain Sakibul Gani. Bihar will compete in the Plate Group after being relegated from the Elite Group last season.
Bihar’s Ranji Trophy Fixtures
Bihar will host three matches this season at the Moinul Haq Stadium in Patna:
Bihar vs Arunachal Pradesh: October 15–18
Bihar vs Meghalaya: November 1–4
Bihar vs Mizoram: November 16–19
The Arunachal Pradesh team arrived in Patna on Sunday for the opening encounter. The first-match squad includes Piyush Kumar Singh, Bhaskar Dubey, Sakibul Gani (Captain), Vaibhav Suryavanshi (Vice-Captain), Arnav Kishore, Ayush Lohruka, Bipin Saurabh, Amod Yadav, Nawaz Khan, Sakib Hussain, Raghvendra Pratap Singh, Sachin Kumar Singh, Himanshu Singh, Khalid Alam, and Sachin Kumar. Other registered players remain on standby.
Suryavanshi’s Explosive Form Abroad
Suryavanshi arrives in red-ball cricket form following a prolific tour of Australia with the India Under-19 team. In the first Youth Test in Brisbane, he smashed a 78-ball century and finished as the second-highest run-scorer of the multi-day series with 133 runs in three innings, helping India secure a 2-0 series whitewash over Australia.
In the preceding Youth ODIs, he scored 124 runs in three matches, including a 68-ball 70 in the second game, leading India to a 3-0 series sweep. Earlier in the year, against England, he accumulated 355 runs in five matches at a strike rate of 174.01, finishing as the series’ highest run-getter.
IPL Stardom and Youthful Brilliance
Suryavanshi also made headlines in the Indian Premier League this year, scoring a blistering 101 off 38 balls for Rajasthan Royals against Gujarat Titans, becoming the youngest centurion in IPL history. His 35-ball century ranks as the second-fastest in tournament history.
Challenges in First-Class Cricket
Despite his success in limited-overs cricket, Suryavanshi faces a new challenge in the red-ball format. In five First-Class appearances for Bihar over the last two seasons, he has scored only 100 runs at an average of 10, with a top score of 41. The upcoming Ranji Trophy campaign will be an opportunity for the young star to prove his abilities in multi-day cricket.
