Jaipur, India: Fourteen-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi has etched his name into the history by becoming the youngest player to feature in the Indian Premier League (IPL), making a sensational debut for the Rajasthan Royals during their narrow two-run loss to the Lucknow Super Giants.
Opening the batting, Suryavanshi immediately made headlines by launching India international cricketer Shardul Thakur for six off the very first ball he faced.
The left-handed prodigy followed up with another six on his third delivery and struck three boundaries during his impressive 34-run knock off just 20 balls.
His aggressive stroke play, particularly strong down the ground, thrilled fans and helped him form a solid 85-run opening partnership with teammate Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Eventually stumped off South Africa’s Aiden Markram in the ninth over, Suryavanshi’s innings still left a lasting impression. The Royals appeared on course to chase down the target of 181, especially with Jaiswal scoring 74.
However, Lucknow staged a dramatic comeback, with Avesh Khan defending nine runs in the final over. Rajasthan needed a boundary off the last ball but fell just short, ending their innings at 178 for 5.
Suryavanshi broke the previous youngest-player record set by spinner Prayas Rai Burman, who debuted at 16 years and 154 days for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2019.
A cricketing prodigy, Vaibhav Suryavanshi was signed during last year’s IPL auction for £103,789 (1.1 crore rupees) after a fierce bidding war.
His talent had already gained national attention in October 2024, when at age 13, he scored a 58-ball century for India Under-19s in a Youth Test against Australia in Chennai. Suryavanshi was also part of India’s U-19 Asia Cup squad last year, scoring 176 runs at an average of 44.
Hailing from Bihar in eastern India, Suryavanshi plays first-class cricket for his state and debuted in the Ranji Trophy at just 12 years old. So far, he has participated in five matches and accumulated 100 runs, with a personal best of 41.
MOST READ | White House unveils new COVID-19 website citing its origin
