New Delhi: Since its inception in 1988 and its return in 1998, the ICC U19 World Cup has been a snapshot of cricketers for the next generation. Across formats and countries, the tournament gathers the brightest teenagers to test them before their reputation and legacy is built.
Five-time winners India – the most successful nation in this tournament – can head into the tournament starting in Zimbabwe and Namibia on Thursday with confidence. They have quite a few stars who have already shown glimpses of their potential on one of the most gruelling platforms – the Indian Premier League.
The 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, since his 35-ball century for Rajasthan Royals in IPL last year, has been gobbling up records for breakfast and is essentially a cheat code for any team. He was in impeccable form in the recent youth ODI series against South Africa where he scored the fastest fifty in the format, in just 15 balls. Power-hitting and the ability to launch flat sixes are his unique points and he will be hoping to add consistency to top it all.
Skipper Ayush Mhatre has also impressed with his fearless batting in IPL – he scored 32 off 15 balls for Chennai Super Kings on debut, going on to make 94 off 48 balls against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Moulded by the Mumbai grind, he has done an impressive job leading the team, showcasing responsibility. He will be aware of the pressure on him to guide his team to their sixth title, India having lost to Australia in the final of the previous edition.
{{/usCountry}}Skipper Ayush Mhatre has also impressed with his fearless batting in IPL – he scored 32 off 15 balls for Chennai Super Kings on debut, going on to make 94 off 48 balls against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Moulded by the Mumbai grind, he has done an impressive job leading the team, showcasing responsibility. He will be aware of the pressure on him to guide his team to their sixth title, India having lost to Australia in the final of the previous edition.
{{/usCountry}}Other players to watch out for in the Indian team are batters Vihaan Malhotra, Aaron George, wicket-keeper batter Abhigyan Kundu and pacer Devendran Deepesh.
Of the U19 batches in the last few years, Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Rachin Ravindra, Shaheen Afridi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Kwena Maphaka and Dewald Brevis were some of those who made a successful transition to the senior level for their countries. This year too promises some success stories.
Like India, Australia, England, South Africa and New Zealand also boast of quite a few players who have made their presence felt at the U19 level and have also managed the transition to their domestic or senior international teams. Oliver Peake (Australia), Thomas Rew and Farhan Ahmed (England), Jason Rowles and Jorich van Schalkwyk (South Africa) and Aryan Mann (New Zealand) are some of them.
A dark horse can be Pakistan, who recently won the Asia Cup thanks to their stars – batter Sameer Minhas and pacer Ali Raza. Minhas has already scored three centuries in YODIs, one against India in the Asia Cup final and two in the tri-series against Afghanistan and Zimbabwe. Raza also got a Pakistan Super League contract in 2025 and picked up 12 wickets in nine matches, besides gaining some experience in domestic cricket.
India may have the best success rate in the tournament and the resources to claim another title, but they will be wary of the upsets by Bangladesh (2020) and Australia (2024) and the recent loss to Pakistan in the junior Asia Cup.
Another storyline to follow is that of Tanzania’s – they won all games in the African qualifier and will make their first appearance at a global tournament. Japan will be marking only their second appearance in the event, having won the East Asia-Pacific qualifiers.
The 16 teams in the tournament are divided into four groups. The top three from each group qualify for the Super Six while the teams that end last in each group will contest the playoffs for final placements. The semi-finals will be held on February 3 and 4 and the final on February 6.