Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in for Sanju Samson? India vs England predicted line-ups for 2nd T20I 2026 at Old Trafford originally appeared on Cricket News.
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KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- India’s Vaibhav Sooryavanshi yet to debut despite a senior call-up for Ireland and England tours.
- Sanju Samson scores just 5, 0 and 1 across three innings on the UK tour.
- Sooryavanshi’s 776 IPL runs and 72 sixes make his case impossible to ignore.
Will Sanju Samson make way for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi at Old Trafford in England vs. India 2nd T20I?
India will take on England in the second T20I at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon, and before that, the million-dollar question is whether Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will finally be handed his senior international debut, with Sanju Samson’s disappointing run making the decision harder to avoid with each passing match.
He was a standout during India’s Under-19 World Cup run, most memorably hammering 175 in the final to underline his talent on the big stage.
He then carried that form into IPL 2026 and went to another level entirely, scoring 776 runs for Rajasthan Royals at a jaw-dropping strike rate of 237.30, hitting a record-breaking 72 sixes in the process to surpass Chris Gayle’s previously untouched mark.
MORE: ‘T20 is here to stay’: Ashwin casts doubt on ODI’s future
The Orange Cap and MVP award followed, and at just 15 years old, he became the youngest player to finish as the tournament’s leading run-scorer.
The man blocking his path into the eleven is no slouch either. Sanju Samson had one of the finest years of his career in early 2026, producing 321 runs in just five innings during India’s T20 World Cup title defence in March.
His knocks against West Indies, England and New Zealand in the knockout stages were sensational, and he walked away with the Player of the Tournament award as India successfully retained the trophy. However, just a few months after that peak, his form has fallen off a cliff.
The UK trip has been difficult to watch for Samson. He made five against Ireland before a first-ball duck in the next game, then managed just one run in the opening T20I against England.
Three innings, three failures, and the calls from outside the camp for a change have grown louder after each one. The management backed Abhishek Sharma and Samson at the top alongside Ishan Kishan through all three Ireland matches, giving Sooryavanshi no opportunity despite his extraordinary IPL campaign.
However, it might change in Manchester as Sooryavanshi waits patiently on the wings.
MORE: ‘We have to back him’: Karthik settles Sooryavanshi vs Samson debate
India’s probable XI and starting lineup for 2nd T20I against England
Below is a predicted lineup for India’s first match of the T20I series against England in Durham.
- Abhishek Sharma
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
- Ishan Kishan (WK)
- Shreyas Iyer (C)
- Tilak Varma
- Shivam Dube
- Axar Patel
- Washington Sundar/Suryansh Shedge
- Harshit Rana
- Arshdeep Singh
- Prince Yadav
MORE: Sooryavanshi’s emergence couldn’t have come at a worse time for Sanju Samson
The time is now for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Gautam Gambhir has chosen to back Sanju Samson through a short rough patch, which is sensible management. But there is a point where loyalty tips into stubbornness.
The Chennai Super Kings batter has now failed three times in a row on this tour, and the player waiting in the wings didn’t just have a good IPL; he rewrote history during it.
The management’s caution around throwing a 15-year-old into international cricket is understandable, but every series has a window, and that window doesn’t stay open forever. Old Trafford feels like the moment to trust the numbers and give the kid his shot.
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