EXPLAINEREveryone in world cricket is talking about Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the Indian player who made a dazzling IPL debut at just 14.Shy schoolboy Vaibhav Suryavanshi is in dreamland at just 14, becoming the youngest player in Indian Premier League history and marking the occasion with an audacious first-ball six.
The fearless young left-hander is being touted as a superstar in the making after his instant impact opening the batting for Rajasthan Royals on Saturday, when he scored 34 off 20 balls in Jaipur with three sixes and two fours.
He finished on the losing side but stole the limelight as, at 14 years and 23 days, he made his debut for Rajasthan after being bought for $130,500 in November’s auction of players at the age of only 13.
An explosive free-scoring batsman, who can also bowl spin, Suryavanshi comes from India’s poorest state, Bihar, and his father is a farmer and part-time journalist, according to Indian media reports.
Mature beyond his years
The teenager’s rise has been swift. He made his domestic debut aged 12 in the Ranji Trophy in January 2024 before being selected for India’s under-19 squad against a touring Australia team. He hit a 58-ball century – the second fastest in youth Tests after England’s Moeen Ali in 2005. Advertisement
But it was the bidding war at the IPL player auction in 2024 that catapulted the youngster into global headlines. Now he finds himself among the cricketing eli …
