Why is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi not playing for India in the U19 Asia Cup? Know the reason

It’s surprising that, despite being 15, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi wasn’t picked for India's U19 squad at the Asia Cup in Al Amerat. The left-handed batter, who recently played for the senior side in the T20I series against New Zealand, will lead Bihar in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2026/27. 

Sooryavanshi was in superb form during the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Rajasthan Royals, which saw him make his debut in international cricket against England at Old Trafford in Manchester. But he didn’t return to the blue brigade's U19 squad.

Why Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is missing from India’s U19 Asia Cup playing XI: What we know

Sooryavanshi missed out on the U19 squad of the Blue Brigade due to the BCCI policy implemented in 2016 that restricts players from appearing in more than one U19 World Cup cycle. This rule was brought by the former Indian star batter, Rahul Dravid.

Sooryavanshi has already featured and starred in the 2016/2026 U19 World Cup edition, where he helped the blue brigade win the title and earned the ‘Player of the Tournament’ honours, which means he is no longer considered for the junior age-group tournaments.

Having already made his international debut in the senior Indian side for the 20-over format, the management and the selectors prefer to give opportunities at the U119 level to fresh faces, who haven’t yet played in a World Cup.

See Also: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi named Bihar’s captain for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2026

Due to the same rule, Washington Sundar played just one World Cup, after ending the 2016 edition as the runners-up, losing the final to the West Indies. Meanwhile, Sarfaraz Khan, Sandeep Sharma, and Vijay Zol were among those players who played in multiple editions of the competition.

How India started their U19 Asia Cup campaign: Key moments from the opening match

India’s U19 side started the campaign against the United Arab Emirates at the AI Amerat Cricket Ground (Ministry Turf 1) when the latter was bundled out for just 128 runs in 42.3 overs. Darsh Sonar, batting in the middle order, was the only player to cross the 40-run mark, ending with 43 runs in 93 balls.

Ishan Sood returned with figures of 3/18 in 10 overs, while Arjun Rajput ended up with 3/8 in 5.3 overs. India, meanwhile, completed the chase by 10 wickets with nearly 31 overs to spare as both Lakshya Raichandani and Aaryavir Sehwag celebrated their respective fifties.

See Also: Watch: “Politics nahi hai” – Rohit Sharma reveals why he won’t let Vaibhav Sooryavanshi drive his new car on his show

Brief Scores: India U19 129/0 (Aaryavir Sehwag 70*, Lakshya Raichandani 53*) beat UAE U19 128 (Darsh Sonar 43, Arjun Rajput 3/8, Ishan Sood 3/18) by 10 wickets.