BCCI announces strong squad for ICC U19 World Cup; Ayush Mhatre to lead

On Saturday, December 27, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the India U19 squad for the forthcoming ICC Men’s U19 World Cup 2026, which is scheduled to start on Thursday, January 15.

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Interestingly, Ayush Mhatre will continue as the captain for the tournament while Vihaan Malhotra has been appointed as his deputy. Malhotra, who recently grabbed the spotlight after being roped in by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the IPL 2026 mini-auction, is expected to play a pivotal role in the mega event.

Also, the BCCI named the squad for the upcoming India U19 tour of South Africa, which will start on Saturday, January 3. Both Mhatre and Malhotra have been ruled out of the South Africa tour due to wrist injuries.

In Mhatre and Malhotra’s absence, the responsibility of leading the U19 team in South Africa has been handed to Vaibhav Suryavanshi, with batter Aaron George named as his deputy. Notably, India U19 is scheduled to play three Youth ODIs in South Africa before the start of the U19 World Cup in Zimbabwe and Namibia.

India’s U19 World Cup campaign will begin with the clash against the United States of America. They will then take on Bangladesh and New Zealand in Group B. The grand finale of the tournament is scheduled to be played on February 6. Five-time champions India U19 remain the most successful side in the history of the ICC U19 World Cup. 

India U19 squad for U19 South Africa tour: 

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (c), Aaron George (vc), Vedant Trivedi, Abhigyan Kundu (wk), Harvansh Singh (wk), R.S. Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan A. Patel, Mohamed Enaan, Henil Patel, D. Deepesh, Kishan Kumar Singh, Udhav Mohan, Yuvraj Gohil, Rahul Kumar.

India U19 squad for U19 World Cup:

Ayush Mhatre (c), Vihaan Malhotra (vc), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Aaron George, Vedant Trivedi, Abhigyan Kundu (wk), Harvansh Singh (wk), R.S. Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan A. Patel, Mohamed Enaan, Henil Patel, D. Deepesh, Kishan Kumar Singh, Udhav Mohan.

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