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15-Year-Old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Creates History, Breaks 57-Year-Old Duleep Trophy Record
Bengaluru: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has added another extraordinary milestone to his rapidly expanding cricketing résumé, becoming the youngest batter in Duleep Trophy history to register a half-century.
The 15-year-old achieved the landmark on Monday, while representing East Zone against Central Zone in the semifinal of the 2026 Duleep Trophy at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. Sooryavanshi reached his fifty from just 42 deliveries, completing the milestone with a six.
The teenage left-hander eventually departed for a fluent 92 from 81 balls, narrowly missing what would have been another landmark achievement. His innings was studded with seven fours and seven sixes and came at a crucial juncture as East Zone sought to build a commanding position in the semifinal.
At 15 years and 175 days, Sooryavanshi eclipsed a record that had remained intact for 57 years. Laxman Singh had previously held the distinction of being the youngest player to score a Duleep Trophy fifty, having reached the milestone at 16 years and 23 days in 1969.
Sooryavanshi also moved past former India spinner Piyush Chawla, who had scored a Duleep Trophy half-century at the age of 16 years and 307 days in 2005.
The youngster's record-breaking batting display was preceded by another unusual chapter in the same match. East Zone captain Ishan Kishan was forced to leave the field after sustaining an injury to his right wrist, briefly handing the leadership reins to Sooryavanshi.
The teenager did not merely occupy the captaincy role symbolically. During his brief stint in charge, he made a decisive call under the Decision Review System that resulted in the dismissal of Central Zone batter Aryan Juyal.
Juyal, who was batting on 46, appeared to have edged a delivery from Mukesh Kumar. Although the on-field appeal was rejected, Sooryavanshi backed his assessment and opted for a review. UltraEdge subsequently detected a spike as the ball passed the bat, confirming the dismissal.
Central Zone had earlier been dismissed for 266 after East Zone's bowlers maintained sustained pressure. Mukesh Kumar and Abhijit Sarkar claimed three wickets apiece, while Mohammed Shami and Md Kounain Quraishi contributed two wickets each.
Rinku Singh emerged as Central Zone's leading scorer with 60 from 88 deliveries, while Juyal made 46. Rinku and Harsh Dubey also put together a 55-run partnership for the sixth wicket before Quraishi broke the stand.
For Sooryavanshi, the semifinal has consequently become a showcase of more than just youthful batting exuberance. In the space of the contest, he has combined leadership responsibility, tactical judgement and an explosive innings to underline why he is regarded as one of the most exciting young prospects in Indian cricket.
His 92 may have fallen short of a century, but the innings carried its own historic weight. At an age when most cricketers are still navigating the formative stages of their careers, Sooryavanshi has already begun rewriting the record books of one of India's premier domestic tournaments.
The latest feat further reinforces the remarkable pace of his rise and adds another chapter to a career that has already attracted considerable attention well beyond India's domestic cricket circuit.
