'What is this vice-captain?' — Tilak Varma sledges Vaibhav Sooryavanshi during Duleep Trophy 2026 final

A stump-mic moment from the Duleep Trophy 2026 final at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai drew widespread attention on Sunday, September 6, 2026. South Zone captain Tilak Varma was picked up on the stump mic saying, 'Kya yaar ye vice-captain (What is this vice-captain)?' directed at Vaibhav Sooryavanshi during the first innings of the match.

A clip of the exchange circulated on X, shared by a user, and brought the on-field interaction into focus. The initial exchange was in good spirits, with both players seen laughing and chatting after the remark. While Tilak is leading South Zone, Sooryavanshi is Ishan Kishan's deputy at East Zone.

Sooryavanshi's first-innings performance

Sooryavanshi is 15 years old, from Samastipur, Bihar, and serves as the vice-captain of East Zone in the Duleep Trophy 2026. The remark from Varma was a direct reference to that role. Ishan Kishan won the toss and East Zone elected to bat first at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, where the final is scheduled from September 6 to September 10, 2026.

Sooryavanshi and Abhimanyu Easwaran put on a 100-run opening stand for East Zone. Easwaran outscored his partner and reached his half-century first. Sooryavanshi then made a brisk 44 off 37 balls, hitting five fours and a six before being dismissed by Chama V Milind in the first session.

Earlier in his innings, Sooryavanshi took on Mohammed Siraj, hitting two fours and a six in one over. That sequence prompted Varma to remove Siraj from the attack. Varma had also opened the field from the start of the match, and Sooryavanshi used the defensive field to rotate strike and clear fielders' heads for boundaries.

Sooryavanshi had already made headlines in the tournament before the final. In the semi-final against Central Zone, he became the youngest player to score a fifty in Duleep Trophy history, breaking a record that had stood for 57 years. He was dismissed for 92 in the first innings of that semi-final, narrowly missing a century, but East Zone still advanced to the final.

Also Read: 'Our job is to adapt' - Ishan Kishan on format switching ahead of Duleep Trophy final and Afghanistan T20Is

South Zone made four changes from their semi-final lineup for the final, bringing in Siraj for Kaverappa, Devdutt Padikkal for Himateja, T Vijay for Thyagarajan, and CV Milind for Sai Teja. East Zone made one change, with Shikhar Mohan coming in as Virat Singh's replacement.