15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi opened the first innings for East Zone in the Duleep Trophy 2026 final against South Zone. In the fixture that kicked off at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday (September 6), the left-handed batter from Samastipur, Bihar, batted at a strike rate of 118.92 in the first session after East Zone skipper Ishan Kishan won the toss and opted to bat first. During his stay at the crease in the morning session on the opening day, Vaibhav smashed five fours and one six to score 44 runs off just 37 balls.
The Rajasthan Royals star, who won the Orange Cap in IPL 2026, added 100 runs off 88 balls for the first wicket with Bengal’s Abhimanyu Easwaran, who scored 72 runs off 86 balls, including 10 fours and one six.
Vaibhav, who is playing his first-ever five-day match, took the South Zone bowlers, especially Mohammed Siraj, to the cleaners in the first innings. In a video shared by the BCCI Domestic X handle, he smashed Siraj for a couple of fours and a six in the seventh over.
4️⃣,6️⃣,4️⃣
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi on the charge with some delightful shots 🔥
The 50-run stand also comes up between Vaibhav and Abhimanyu Easwaran 🙌
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/KQf5Km69nk#DuleepTrophy | #SZvEZ pic.twitter.com/0XLR4LI50R
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) September 6, 2026
Vaibhav, who has been included in India’s T20I squad for the upcoming three-match series against Afghanistan in New Delhi, was however unlucky to miss out on a deserving half-century on Sunday.
He was sent back to the pavilion by Chama V Milind in the 15th over. Substitute fielder Tanay Thyagarajan completed the catch off the fourth ball of the over to deny Vaibhav a well-deserved half-century in the summit clash of India’s premier domestic zonal cricket tournament.
Vaibhav has featured in all three matches for East Zone in the ongoing 2026 edition of the Duleep Trophy. He could only manage eight runs off six balls in the quarterfinal against North East Zone in Bengaluru but played a superb knock of 92 runs off 81 balls in the first innings of the semifinal against defending champions Central Zone.
During his stay at the crease in the last-four clash, he smashed seven fours and seven sixes for the Ishan Kishan-led side.
He maintained his form in the second innings as well, scoring 40 runs off 43 balls to help East Zone chase down a target of 159 runs in 39.3 overs for the loss of six wickets.
