In surprsing set of events, the upcoming India A tri-series in Sri Lanka is set to be broadcast live, and the reason behind this sudden change of plans comes down to a single name. According to a report by Cricbuzz, the extraordinary hype surrounding 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has prompted Sony Sports Network to acquire the broadcasting rights for the tournament, which will now air live across both its television channels and the Sony LIV digital streaming platform.
Tournament Details
The tri-series features the A sides of India, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan and is scheduled to be held in Dambulla from June 9 to June 21. What was originally expected to be a low-profile developmental competition has been elevated into a must-watch event almost entirely on the strength of one teenager’s presence in the squad.
The timing works well for Sony too. The network has had limited access to premium cricket properties in recent months, with rival broadcasters locking down the IPL and ICC events. Sony holds the rights to bilateral cricket played in Sri Lanka and is moving swiftly to capitalise on the unprecedented public interest surrounding Sooryavanshi before that window closes.
The IPL 2026 Phenomenon
The commercial logic behind this broadcasting decision becomes clear when you look at what Sooryavanshi produced in IPL 2026. Playing for Rajasthan Royals, the teenager accumulated 776 runs at a strike rate of 237.30, earning him the distinction of becoming the youngest ever Most Valuable Player in IPL history. The teenager also won Orange cap and sweeped several other IPL records to his name. His campaign included a century in the group stage and two nineties in the playoffs, performances that announced him as not just a promising youngster but one of the most watchable batters in world cricket right now. All of this came barely 12 months after his IPL debut, making the achievement even more staggering in context.
A Commercial Phenomenon in the Making
His drawing power extended well beyond the boundary ropes. Outside the stadium in New Chandigarh, counterfeit replica jerseys bearing Sooryavanshi’s name were being sold alongside those of Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill, placing him in rare commercial company for someone his age. Corporate brands have been lining up to sign him to endorsement deals, and Sony’s own promotional campaign for the tri-series leaned heavily into his arrival, branding the tournament around him with the promotional slogan: “The Sooryavanshi Express is coming to light up the stage in a high-octane Tri-series.”
For a developmental A series to attract live national broadcast coverage is almost unheard of. That it has happened speaks entirely to the scale of what this 15-year-old has already become.
India A Squad for ODI Tri-Series in Sri Lanka
Tilak Varma (Captain), Priyansh Arya, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Riyan Parag (Vice-Captain), Ayush Badoni, Nishant Sindhu, Harsh Dubey, Suryansh Shedge, Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Kumar Kushagra (WK), Vipraj Nigam, Yash Thakur, Yudhvir Singh, Anshul Kamboj, Arshad Khan.
India A vs Sri Lanka A vs Afghanistan A ODI Tri-Series: Full Schedule (IST)
June 9: Sri Lanka A vs India A, Dambulla – 10:00 AM IST
June 11: India A vs Afghanistan A, Dambulla – 10:00 AM IST
June 13: Sri Lanka A vs Afghanistan A, Dambulla – 10:00 AM IST
June 15: Sri Lanka A vs India A, Dambulla – 10:00 AM IST
June 17: India A vs Afghanistan A, Dambulla – 10:00 AM IST
June 19: Sri Lanka A vs Afghanistan A, Dambulla – 10:00 AM IST
June 21: Final, Dambulla – 10:00 AM IST
