Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Out Of India’s 2028 T20 World Cup Plan

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi [Source: AFP]

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was dropped from Team India’s playing XI for the fifth T20I of the five-match series against England in Southampton on Saturday, July 11. The 15-year-old was excluded from the group in favour of comeback man and senior pro Sanju Samson.

It is worth noting that Sooryavanshi made his debut for Team India just a week ago, thus becoming the youngest player to play international cricket for India. As things stand, it now appears that the young opening batter might well have been dropped out of national contention, at least for the next two years.

Shreyas Iyer drops bombshell on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi future

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was replaced by fellow Indian opener Sanju Samson for the fifth T20I of the series against England, as confirmed by national skipper Shreyas Iyer at the toss.

The Indian captain also dropped a huge bombshell regarding the future of Sooryavanshi, which indicates that the youngster is not currently in team management’s 2028 T20 World Cup plans. 

Also Read- “Justice For Sooryavanshi”: Fans React As Vaibhav Dropped From IND Vs ENG 5th T20I

While speaking at the toss, Shreyas Iyer said “Yeah, we've got two changes. Suryansh Shedge in for Washington and Sanju Samson comes in for Sooryavanshi. I feel this is the time we need to try what's the best going forward for us as a team. So based on that, we decided this.”

Iyer’s remarks indicate that the Indian team management is aiming to try out future combinations with recent T20I fixtures, and they may have suddenly decided that Sooryavanshi does not belong to that group, at least not for the time being.

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Shreyas Iyer at toss (Read the last 2 lines).... Yeah, we've got two changes. Suryansh Shedge in for Washington and Sanju Samson comes in for Sooryavanshi. I feel this is the time we need to try what's the best going forward for us as a team. So based on that, we decided this.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi struggles to replicate IPL 2026 heroics

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi bagged the coveted ‘Orange Cap’ in this year’s IPL 2026 season for the Rajasthan Royals. Just a few days after the conclusion of the tournament, the youngster was named in India squad for the T20I tours of Ireland and England.

While the 15-year-old failed to find a place in the Indian playing XI in Ireland, he received his debut cap last week in Manchester during the second T20I against England. As it turned out, the cricketer has managed to aggregate just 42 runs in his first three international innings at a dismal average of 14 before getting ruled out.

What actions has Indian management taken for 2028 World Cup?

Team India, under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav, recently lifted the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Ahmedabad to complete a historic title defense.

However, since then, the BCCI and the Indian team management has announced Shreyas Iyer as new national T20I skipper in place of a struggling Suryakumar. Shreyas is now expected to lead the team up until the 2028 ICC T20 World Cup cycle. 

The BCCI also confirmed rising star Tilak Varma as new vice-captain of the side, doing so in place of senior all-rounder Axar Patel. 

As of now, it remains to be seen if Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is indeed out of Team India’s plans for the 2028 event, or the youngster can make a triumphant return to the team within the coming months.

Also Read- Heartbroken Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Holds Back His Tears As Shreyas Iyer Drops Him For 5th T20I