On Saturday, December 27, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officially announced the India U19 squad for the ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup 2026.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) star Ayush Mhatre has been named as captain of India U19 for the ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup and Vihaan Malhotra will be serving as his deputy.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi features in the India U19 World Cup squad
The Boys In Blue will be heading into the ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup as one of the red-hot favorites. They are placed in Group B for the World Cup along with New Zealand, USA and Bangladesh.
Your daily dose of cricket!
India U19 are the most successful team in the ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup history, having won the titles in 2000, 2008, 2012, 2018 and 2022. India’s 5 titles are just one more than the current defending champions Australia, who have won four.
The Boys in Blue will lock horns with USA in their tournament opener on January 15 , before taking on Bangladesh on January 17 and New Zealand on January 24. They will play all their matches at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.
Just before the start of the World Cup, India U19 will tour South Africa for a three-match series that will be played on January 3, 5 and 7 at the Willowmoore Park.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi will lead India U19 in the South Africa series with Aaron George being vice-captain. This is because Ayush Mhatre and Vihaan Malhotra have been ruled out with their wrist injuries and will only return for the World Cup.
The rest of the Indian squad is also a strong one and they would be looking to move on from the U19 Asia Cup setback and clinch a record 6th World Cup title.
“The Junior Cricket Committee has picked the India Under-19 squad for the upcoming three-match One-Day series against South Africa and the ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup, scheduled to be held in Zimbabwe and Namibia from 15th January to 6th February, 2026.
“The upcoming edition of the ICC Men’s U19 World Cup will feature 16 teams divided into four groups, followed by the Super Six stage, semi-finals, and the final in Harare,” the BCCI said in an official media release.
“NOTE: Ayush Mhatre and Vihaan Malhotra have sustained wrist injuries and will miss the South Africa tour. The duo will report to the BCCI Centre of Excellence for further management of their injuries and will join the team for the ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup,” the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) stated.
India’s squad for the South Africa tour:
Vaibhav Suryavanshi (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 ICC Men’s U19 World Cup 2026:
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.
