The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday named Ayush Mhatre as captain for the 2026 ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup, with Vihaan Malhotra as his deputy for the tournament. Malhotra recently caught attention at the IPL auction after being picked by Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
The leadership duo, however, will begin their tenure from the sidelines. Both Mhatre and Malhotra have sustained wrist injuries and will miss India’s preparatory tour of South Africa. They are set to report to the BCCI Centre of Excellence for rehabilitation and are expected to link up with the squad directly ahead of the World Cup.
India’s U-19 South Africa tour
With both captain and deputy unavailable, Vaibhav Suryavanshi will lead the side in the three-match one-day series against South Africa. The ODI series is scheduled for January 3, 5 and 7. The tour is being seen as a key tune-up ahead of the World Cup.
The ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup will be held in Namibia and Zimbabwe from January 15 to February 6. Sixteen teams will compete, divided into four groups, followed by the Super Six stage, semi-finals and the final in Harare.
Five-time champions India Under-19 have been drawn in Group B alongside New Zealand, USA and Bangladesh. India will open their campaign against USA Under-19 on January 15 at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, before facing Bangladesh Under-19 on January 17 at the same venue. Their final group game will be against New Zealand Under-19 on January 24.
India squad for Under-19 World Cup
Ayush Mhatre (Captain), Vihaan Malhotra (VC), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Aaron George, Vedant Trivedi, Abhigyan Kundu (WK), Harvansh Singh (WK), RS Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan A Patel, Mohamed Enaan, Henil Patel, D Deepesh, Kishan Kumar Singh, Udhav Mohan
India squad for South Africa tour
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (C), Aaron George (VC), Vedant Trivedi, Abhigyan Kundu (WK), Harvansh Singh (WK), RS Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan A Patel, Mohamed Enaan, Henil Patel, D Deepesh, Kishan Kumar Singh, Udhav Mohan, Yuvraj Gohil, Rahul Kumar