BCCI acts after Belfast unrest threatens to derail Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's India debut

Cricket Ireland issues statement after unrest in the country plans to derail the upcoming T20I series against India.

Updated on: Jun 12, 2026, 15:04:43 IST

Written by Vishesh Roy

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Cricket Ireland issued an official statement after a night of disorder in Belfast earlier this week. The people in Belfast were forced to leave their homes amid disorder following a knife attack. Some houses and cars were also set on fire, and all public transport has been paused in the city, according to the BBC. This recent development has put the future of the two-match T20I series between India and Ireland in the balance. Cricket Ireland did not share any details about the upcoming matches on June 26 and 28, but the board confirmed that the situation is being closely monitored.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is expected to make his debut against Ireland. (SLC)

Earlier, the Inter-Provincial T20 Festival in Lisburn was called off, and on Thursday, Cricket Ireland confirmed that a decision on Sunday's Irish Senior Cup and National Cup fixtures will be made within the next 48 hours.

“Cricket Ireland is continuing to monitor the situation in areas currently experiencing community unrest and will make a decision within the next 48 hours regarding this Sunday’s Irish Senior Cup and National Cup fixtures,” Cricket Ireland said in an official statement.

Also Read: ‘Vaibhav, if you’re listening…’: Sooryavanshi made aware of distractions, father Sanjeev given a task

“We remain in close consultation with the relevant authorities and our provincial unions. The safety and security of players, coaches, match officials, and supporters is paramount in our deliberations. Further updates will be provided as they become available,” it added.

Speaking of the India versus Ireland series, the two T20Is are to be played on June 26 and 28 in Belfast. Both games are slated to be played at the Stormont Cricket Ground in Belfast.

According to a report in Dainik Jagran, the BCCI is also “monitoring the situation”. According to a BCCI source, the current situation in Belfast is “closely being monitored”, and if it does not improve, the option of shifting the matches to another location may also be considered.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's potential debut

The upcoming series could mark Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's senior India debut, after he was named in the squad for the series against Ireland and England. The 15-year-old is in line to become the youngest-ever men's cricketer to play the sport, breaking the record of Sachin Tendulkar.

Sooryavanshi earned a national call-up after a smashing IPL 2026 season for the Rajasthan Royals, where he registered 776 runs at a strike rate of 237.31. The series between India and Ireland will also mark Shreyas Iyer's era as the captain.

Shreyas replaced the T20 World Cup-winning captain Suryakumar Yadav as the skipper, and the Ireland series will mark his first series as Team India leader.

India’s updated squad for Ireland T20Is: Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (VC), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Prasidh Krishna.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vishesh Roy
Vishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.Read More

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