diff --git a/datafusion/src/sql/planner.rs b/datafusion/src/sql/planner.rs
index 6bf7b776c8db..7df0068c5f54 100644
--- a/datafusion/src/sql/planner.rs
+++ b/datafusion/src/sql/planner.rs
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ use super::{
         can_columns_satisfy_exprs, expand_wildcard, expr_as_column_expr, extract_aliases,
         find_aggregate_exprs, find_column_exprs, find_window_exprs,
         group_window_expr_by_sort_keys, rebase_expr, resolve_aliases_to_exprs,
+        resolve_positions_to_exprs,
     },
 };
 
@@ -582,15 +583,15 @@ impl<'a, S: ContextProvider> SqlToRel<'a, S> {
         // All of the aggregate expressions (deduplicated).
         let aggr_exprs = find_aggregate_exprs(&aggr_expr_haystack);
 
+        let alias_map = extract_aliases(&select_exprs);
         let group_by_exprs = select
             .group_by
             .iter()
             .map(|e| {
                 let group_by_expr = self.sql_expr_to_logical_expr(e)?;
-                let group_by_expr = resolve_aliases_to_exprs(
-                    &group_by_expr,
-                    &extract_aliases(&select_exprs),
-                )?;
+                let group_by_expr = resolve_aliases_to_exprs(&group_by_expr, &alias_map)?;
+                let group_by_expr =
+                    resolve_positions_to_exprs(&group_by_expr, &select_exprs)?;
                 self.validate_schema_satisfies_exprs(
                     plan.schema(),
                     &[group_by_expr.clone()],
@@ -2326,6 +2327,39 @@ mod tests {
         );
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn select_simple_aggregate_with_groupby_can_use_positions() {
+        quick_test(
+            "SELECT state, age AS b, COUNT(1) FROM person GROUP BY 1, 2",
+            "Projection: #state, #age AS b, #COUNT(UInt8(1))\
+             \n  Aggregate: groupBy=[[#state, #age]], aggr=[[COUNT(UInt8(1))]]\
+             \n    TableScan: person projection=None",
+        );
+        quick_test(
+            "SELECT state, age AS b, COUNT(1) FROM person GROUP BY 2, 1",
+            "Projection: #state, #age AS b, #COUNT(UInt8(1))\
+             \n  Aggregate: groupBy=[[#age, #state]], aggr=[[COUNT(UInt8(1))]]\
+             \n    TableScan: person projection=None",
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn select_simple_aggregate_with_groupby_position_out_of_range() {
+        let sql = "SELECT state, MIN(age) FROM person GROUP BY 0";
+        let err = logical_plan(sql).expect_err("query should have failed");
+        assert_eq!(
+            "Plan(\"Projection references non-aggregate values\")",
+            format!("{:?}", err)
+        );
+
+        let sql2 = "SELECT state, MIN(age) FROM person GROUP BY 5";
+        let err2 = logical_plan(sql2).expect_err("query should have failed");
+        assert_eq!(
+            "Plan(\"Projection references non-aggregate values\")",
+            format!("{:?}", err2)
+        );
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn select_simple_aggregate_with_groupby_can_use_alias() {
         quick_test(
diff --git a/datafusion/src/sql/utils.rs b/datafusion/src/sql/utils.rs
index 7a5dc0da1b53..848fb3ee31fc 100644
--- a/datafusion/src/sql/utils.rs
+++ b/datafusion/src/sql/utils.rs
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 //! SQL Utility Functions
 
 use crate::logical_plan::{DFSchema, Expr, LogicalPlan};
+use crate::scalar::ScalarValue;
 use crate::{
     error::{DataFusionError, Result},
     logical_plan::{ExpressionVisitor, Recursion},
@@ -392,6 +393,27 @@ pub(crate) fn extract_aliases(exprs: &[Expr]) -> HashMap<String, Expr> {
         .collect::<HashMap<String, Expr>>()
 }
 
+pub(crate) fn resolve_positions_to_exprs(
+    expr: &Expr,
+    select_exprs: &[Expr],
+) -> Result<Expr> {
+    match expr {
+        // sql_expr_to_logical_expr maps number to i64
+        // https://github.com/apache/arrow-datafusion/blob/8d175c759e17190980f270b5894348dc4cff9bbf/datafusion/src/sql/planner.rs#L882-L887
+        Expr::Literal(ScalarValue::Int64(Some(position)))
+            if position > &0_i64 && position <= &(select_exprs.len() as i64) =>
+        {
+            let index = (position - 1) as usize;
+            let select_expr = &select_exprs[index];
+            match select_expr {
+                Expr::Alias(nested_expr, _alias_name) => Ok(*nested_expr.clone()),
+                _ => Ok(select_expr.clone()),
+            }
+        }
+        _ => Ok(expr.clone()),
+    }
+}
+
 /// Rebuilds an `Expr` with columns that refer to aliases replaced by the
 /// alias' underlying `Expr`.
 pub(crate) fn resolve_aliases_to_exprs(