Vaibhav Suryavanshi made history on Saturday by becoming the youngest ever cricketer to play in the IPL – and he hit a magnificent six off his first ball. The Rajasthan Royals star, at just 14 years and 23 days old, kicked off his IPL career in style by smashing a delivery from Lucknow Super Giants’ Shardul Thakur into the stands.
Suryavanshi hit a further three sixes and two fours, as he finished his knock with a commendable 34 runs off just 20 balls. The teenage sensation was then stumped by India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant following a delivery from Aiden Markram.
As he walked back towards the pavilion, an emotional Suryavanshi was seen wiping away tears. The 14-year-old was included in the Royals’ squad for 2025 as an Impact Player, and he opened the batting with Yashasvi Jaiswal in place of captain Sanju Samson, only for RR to suffer their fourth consecutive defeat.
Suryavanshi was only 13 when Royals chiefs paid a cool 11m rupees (£103,789) to get their hands on him. He’d previously trained with the the Royals, who faced competition from Delhi Capitals.
The left-handed batter made a name for himself by representing his state in national championships and India at under-19 level. The highlight of Suryavanshi’s career prior to his IPL start was his stunning 58-ball century as an opener in an unofficial under-19 Test against Australia, shortly before RR snapped him up.
Speaking to ESPN Cricinfo after the IPL auction, Royals CEO Jake Lush McCrum explained: “He’s been to our high performance centre in Nagpur, he had trials there and really impressed our coaching setup there.
“He’s an incredible talent and of course you got to have the confidence so he can step up to the IPL level. So lots of work will go in in the coming months to continue to develop him but hell of a talent and we’re really excited to have him as part of the franchise.”
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His formal coach is his father, Sanjeev, but now he’s working under Rahul Dravid, former head coach of India. Dravid said of Suryavanshi’s progress last month: “He is training really well and he looks like a really good and exciting talent.
“But there are other equally good players as well and part of our responsibility is to groom him well, give him a little bit of time in the environment, let him get used to it and practice with the players, let him get a feel of the environment, all these are great experiences for him, rather than putting him straight in front of the crowd. So it’s a part of the process we follow in grooming a player and if an opportunity arises we won’t be scared to play him if it is required.”
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