Rajasthan Royals star Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been selected in the 16-member Indian cricket team for the upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand, starting October 22.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) named the squad for the New Zealand vs India T20 on Tuesday.
Christchurch will host the first two matches of the NZ vs IND T20 2026 series on October 22 and 24. The caravan then moves to Wellington on October 27, Auckland on October 30 before culminating in Hamilton on November 1.
The series will be followed by a five-match ODI series and a two-match Test series with the tour running deep into November.
Shreyas Iyer will captain the side, with Tilak Varma named his deputy.
On the back of an incredible IPL 2026 campaign with Rajasthan Royals, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has already started making waves on the senior international circuit as well.
The 15-year-old southpaw made his T20I debut against England back in July, becoming the youngest Indian to play international cricket and breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s long-standing record.
In only his second T20I series, he finished as the overall top scorer as India completed a 3-0 away sweep of Zimbabwe.
He made two half-centuries in the three-match series, including a 50 from 19 balls in the opener that made him the youngest player to register a fifty in men's international cricket. He scored 81 off 49 in the final match.
The teenager was also part of the Indian team which successfully defended its title at the Asian Games 2026. It also made Vaibhav the youngest Indian to ever win a gold medal at the continental showpiece.
Vaibhav, who is part of the Indian team which is engaging the West Indies in a T20 series at home, has scored 246 runs in eight games in his fledgling T20I career.
In New Zealand, Vaibhav may cross paths against his Royals teammate and pacer Adam Milne, who will be returning to the Black Caps setup after recovering from an injury.
The two cricket giants will be meeting for the first time since India beat New Zealand in the final of the T20 World Cup 2026 at Ahmedabad back in March.
India T20I squad for 2026 New Zealand series
India cricket team: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (wk), Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Naman Dhir, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav.
