India announce 15-member squad for Under-19 World Cup 2026, Ayush Mhatre to lead

Ayush Mhatre will lead India at the 2026 Under-19 World Cup, which will be played in January in Zimbabwe and Namibia. Vihaan Malhotra, picked by RCB recently in the IPL Auction, will be Mhatre's deputy at the mega event.

The 15-member squad also includes Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who will lead the team against South Africa Under-19 before the World Cup.

Meanwhile, Mhatre and Malhotra will not be a part of the South Africa tour, owing to the wrist injuries they picked recently. The duo will report to the BCCI Centre of Excellence to ensure their recovery. They will join the team straight at the World Cup. Mhatre led India to the final of the Under-19 Asia Cup in Dubai earlier this month. However, India lost the summit clash to Pakistan.

The three youth ODIs against South Africa Under-19 will be played in Benoni on January 3, 5, and 7, while the World Cup will commence on January 15.

India are slotted in Group B at the Under-19 World Cup along with New Zealand, USA and Bangladesh. They will play their campaign opener on January 15 against USA in Bulawayo, which will be followed by clashes against Bangladesh on January 17 and New Zealand on January 24.

India Under-19 squad for South Africa tour

Vaibhav Suryavanshi (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 

India squad for 2026 Under-19 World Cup

Ayush Mhatre (c), Vihaan Malhotra (vc), Vaibhav Suryavanshi, 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