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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Becomes Youngest Duleep Trophy Half-Centurion at 15 — SSC Current Affairs 2026

Sports31 Aug 2026

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Becomes Youngest Duleep Trophy Half-Centurion at 15

8 sections below — scroll or usetocto jump

1
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, a 15-year-old East Zone batter, became the youngest player to score a half-century in Duleep Trophy history on 31 August 2026.
2
He was 15 years and 157 days old, breaking a 57-year-old record set by Laxman Singh in January 1969 at 16 years and 23 days.
3
He reached the fifty in 42 balls in the semi-final against Central Zone at the BCCI Centre of Excellence, Bengaluru, and was dismissed for 92 off 81 balls with seven fours and seven sixes.
4
A day earlier he had become the youngest captain in Duleep Trophy history, standing in for the injured Ishan Kishan.
5
Sachin Tendulkar remains the youngest Duleep Trophy centurion, at 17 years and 262 days.

●Player: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, batter, East Zone
●Record: youngest half-centurion in Duleep Trophy history, at 15 years and 157 days, on 31 August 2026
●Previous record: Laxman Singh, 16 years and 23 days, set in January 1969 - a mark that stood 57 years
●Innings: 92 runs off 81 balls, with seven fours and seven sixes; fifty came off 42 balls
●Venue: BCCI Centre of Excellence, Bengaluru; fixture: semi-final against Central Zone
●Also on 30 August 2026: became the youngest captain in Duleep Trophy history after regular skipper Ishan Kishan suffered a finger injury

East Zone opening partnership

161 runs

East Zone first innings

266 all out

Central Zone at close of Day 2

45 for 3

How close to a century

Out for 92 - eight runs short

The Duleep Trophy is a first-class domestic tournament run by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, first contested in 1961-62 and named after Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji, the Indian-born batter who played Test cricket for England. Its defining feature is the zonal format: teams representing North, South, East, West and Central Zones, with North East Zone added later, drawn from the states in each region. The zonal structure has been set aside occasionally - in 2002-03 the teams were formed from Ranji Trophy groups, and between 2016-17 and 2019-20 the BCCI fielded three selected sides called India Blue, India Red and India Green - before the zonal format returned.

Milestone	Player	Age
Youngest half-century (current)	Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, 2026	15 years 157 days
Youngest half-century (previous)	Laxman Singh, January 1969	16 years 23 days
Youngest century	Sachin Tendulkar	17 years 262 days

●Duleep Trophy: first-class, BCCI, zonal format, first held 1961-62
●Named after Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji
●Sooryavanshi's record age: 15 years 157 days
●Record broken: Laxman Singh's 16 years 23 days, standing since January 1969
●Youngest Duleep Trophy centurion: Sachin Tendulkar, 17 years 262 days

Exam Relevance

ssc

General Awareness > Sports Current Affairs

railway

General Awareness > Sports

banking

General Awareness > Sports Current Affairs

Expected Questions

★SSC: Who became the youngest half-centurion in Duleep Trophy history in 2026?
★Banking: The Duleep Trophy is named after which cricketer?
★Railway: The Duleep Trophy is contested in which format of cricket?

Key Terms

First-class cricket

Multi-day cricket with two innings per side, of which the Duleep Trophy and Ranji Trophy are India's principal domestic examples

Zonal format

A tournament structure in which teams represent geographic zones rather than individual states

BCCI Centre of Excellence

The Board of Control for Cricket in India's training and match facility in Bengaluru

priority_highMust Remember

•Vaibhav Sooryavanshi: youngest Duleep Trophy half-centurion at 15 years 157 days, on 31 August 2026
•Broke Laxman Singh's record of 16 years 23 days, set in January 1969
•Scored 92 off 81 balls with seven fours and seven sixes; fifty in 42 balls
•Duleep Trophy: BCCI first-class zonal tournament, first held 1961-62, named after Duleepsinhji