Ishan Kishan's Injury Kicks Off Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's Captaincy Era In Duleep Trophy 2026

Sooryavanshi leading East Zone in Duleep Trophy semis [Source: X]

A 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is leading the East Zone in the Duleep Trophy semifinals against the Central Zone. Ishan Kishan has been the captain of the team, but the southpaw suffered an unfortunate injury and was taken off the field.

It doesn’t happen very often that a teenager with little experience gets the captaincy armband, but Sooryavanshi was appointed the East Zone vice-captain, and he now has huge responsibility on his shoulders.

Ishan Kishan suffers wrist injury as Sooryavanshi takes captaincy charge

Kishan was struck on his right wrist while he was doing wicket-keeping duties, as the captain looked in immense pain. The physio attended to him, but he walked off the field for more medical attention.

Kishan was soon seen with a strap on his hand, with Kumar Kushagra taking over the keeping duties, and Sooryavanshi getting his first taste of captaincy at an elite level as he became the stand-in skipper of East Zone.

The incident occurred in the 19th over of the Central Zone innings as East Zone sweat hard on their regular captain, Ishan Kishan’s fitness.

Sooryavanshi gets first taste of captaincy stint at elite level

East Zone management has shown immense faith in Sooryavanshi despite him still being 15. Before the tournament started, the teenage sensation had no experience of captaining a team, but with Ishan Kishan out, the youngster was given the captaincy duties in such a high-octane clash.

Moreover, some of the biggest names in the Indian domestic circuit are playing in the semifinals of the Duleep Trophy, and Sooryavanshi has got a golden opportunity to lead some of the best in the business.

Also Read: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Calls Himself A Wicket Taker, Reveals Ishan Kishan Considered It A Mistake

A strong performance as the skipper of East Zone will help the player gain confidence, as he can be looked upon as a future leader.

This is the first instance of Sooryavanshi leading a side. Last year, he was named Bihar's vice-captain during the Ranji Trophy season. He was also the vice-captain of the India Under-19 team that won the World Cup earlier this year, and hence, he will aim to take that experience when leading the East Zone side.

Duleep Trophy semifinal, a chance for Sooryavanshi to redeem himself

Sooryavanshi failed to deliver the goods in the Duleep Trophy 2026 quarterfinals, and he’ll be eager to get back amongst the run-getters in the semis. The 15-year-old will now have more responsibility, since there is no clarity on Ishan Kishan’s return to the field.

Interestingly, while Sooryavanshi has dominated the T20s and List A cricket, he has yet to crack first-class cricket. The left-handed batter has only played nine first-class matches, and he has only accumulated 215 runs, with an average of 16.53.

Bowlers have found ways to dismiss him in the game’s longest format, and hence, the Duleep Trophy semis hold utmost importance as the East Zone could be short of a batter, and Sooryavanshi will need to score the bulk of the runs.

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