New Delhi: Rajasthan Royals’ coach Rahul Dravid couldn’t help but share a fist bump with batting coach Vikram Rathore after a bold decision paid off handsomely. The call to play 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi made headlines as he became the youngest ever player to feature in the Indian Premier League, debuting against Lucknow Super Giants on Saturday.
‘Gen Bold’—the moniker broadcasters have given this year’s crop of youngsters—couldn’t be more fitting for Vaibhav. At just 14 years and 23 days old, he has redefined what it means to be young and fearless. His IPL journey began with a statement: a six off his very first ball, an emphatic way to announce his arrival in cricket’s arguably toughest T20 league.
“It doesn’t matter how old #VaibhavSuryavanshi is. On a big evening he has shown no stage fright,” cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle wrote on ‘X’, capturing the essence of the youngster’s fearless approach.
On Saturday, Vaibhav replaced injured captain Sanju Samson in the Rajasthan Royals XI. And what a debut it was from the impact substitute. Vaibhav scored 34 runs off 20 balls, with 26 coming in boundaries, before South African Aiden Markram had him stumped. By then, the southpaw had made an 85-run opening stand with India international and Rajasthan Royals opener Yashasvi Jaiswal in just 8.4 overs. That partnership set the tone for Rajasthan’s chase, which ultimately fell short by just 2 runs.
𝐌𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆. 𝐀. 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 🫡
Welcome to #TATAIPL, Vaibhav Suryavanshi 🤝
Updates ▶️ https://t.co/02MS6ICvQl#RRvLSG | @rajasthanroyals pic.twitter.com/MizhfSax4q
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 19, 2025
In conversation with Sony Sports, Vaibhav mentioned, “Brian Lara is my idol and I try to play like him”. Though comparisons might be premature, the young left-hander’s technique is impressive – his bat swing is whip-like, core stable, ability to rotate strike and not just slog were all evident in his brief innings.
England’s seasoned T20 player Sam Billings compared Vaibhav ‘s bat swing to Yuvraj Singh, saying, “This is utterly absurd!!!!! 14! First ball Look at that bat swing too, like prime Yuvi… wow”.
Google CEO and cricket enthusiast Sundar Pichai was stunned by Vaibhav ‘s debut, remarking, “Woke up to watch an 8th grader play in the IPL!!!! What a debut!”
Also Read: The bright, the unlucky & the outsider: A look at young captains in the IPL 2025 season
Records broken
Having been picked by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 1.1 crore after impressing at their Nagpur high-performance centre, Vaibhav continued breaking age-related records, having already become the youngest player to be picked by an IPL franchise in the mega auction before the season started.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi, a star is born ✨ pic.twitter.com/6H19RNqgyq
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) April 19, 2025
He is the youngest ever to play in the IPL followed by Prayas Ray Barman who debuted at 16 years and 157 days for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2019. Others include Mujeeb Ur Rahman at 17 years and 11 days for Kings XI Punjab in 2018, Riyan Parag at 17 years and 152 days for Rajasthan Royals in 2019, Pradeep Sangwan at 17 years and 179 days in the inaugural IPL season in 2008, and Sarfaraz Khan at 17 years and 182 days for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2015.
Broadcaster Aakash Chopra expressed his amazement on air, saying, “Kaifu (Mohammad Kaif), my daughter is 12 and she watches the match on TV. This 14-year-old is playing on TV and the whole world is watching.”
Vaibhav also joined an elite club of players who have hit a six off their first ball in the IPL. The list includes Rob Quiney, Kevon Cooper, Andre Russell, Carlos Brathwaite, Aniket Choudhary, Javon Searles, Siddhesh Lad, Maheesh Theekshana, and Sameer Rizvii.
Born in Bihar’s Tajpur, he started playing cricket at four, coached by his father who sold his farm to support his son’s ambitions. By nine, Vaibhav was training at a cricket academy in Samastipur. At 12, he was representing Bihar in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy and soon after, made his first-class debut—becoming the youngest Indian to play Ranji Trophy in the modern era since 1986, playing for Bihar in the Ranji Trophy 2023-24 at just 12 years and 284 days against Mumbai in January 2024.
In September 2024, he debuted for India Under-19 against Australia in a youth Test match. On his U-19 Test debut, he scored a century in just 58 balls, the fastest by an India U-19 player, before being run out at 104. At 13 years 188 days, he became the youngest ever to score an international century amongst all levels of professional cricket.
In December 2024, he became India’s youngest List A player, representing Bihar in the 2024-25 Vijay Hazare Trophy against Madhya Pradesh at 13 years and 269 days. He also impressed at the 2024 ACC Under-19 Asia Cup, scoring 76 off 46 balls against UAE and 67 off 36 balls against Sri Lanka in the semi-final.
While Vaibhav’s star is rising fast, Rajasthan Royals face mounting challenges. The team has faltered in close chases, failing to complete two achievable runs chases in the final over, both identical requiring 9 runs in 6 deliveries —first against Delhi Capitals and again on Saturday against Lucknow Super Giants. With six losses in eight matches, Rajasthan find themselves languishing in eighth place on the points table, struggling to turn individual brilliance into collective success.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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