Vaibhav Suryavanshi, at 14, became the youngest IPL player, smashing a six on his first ball and scoring 34 runs for Rajasthan Royals against Lucknow Super Giants.
Rajasthan Royals young and talented Vaibhav Suryavanshi, 14 years and 23 days old, became the youngest to play in the history of IPL when he made his debut in the ongoing season against Lucknow Super Giants at the Sawai Mansingh Cricket Stadium in Jaipur on Saturday, April 19.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi had a dream IPL debut as he smashed a six on the first ball off LSG pacer Shardul Thakur, marking his arrival at the grandest stage. The 14-year-old continued to take on LSG bowlers by hitting a couple of more and two fours and played an impressive knock of 34 off 20 balls at a strike rate of 170, while forming a 85-run partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal. He was on course for his maiden IPL fifty and potentially a match-winning knock, but his stay at the crease was ended by Aiden Markram after Rishabh Pant stumped him out.
Suryavanshi’s impressive debut knock drew applause from across the cricketing world, especially from LSG owner Sanjiv Geonka, who gave a standing ovation to the young batter for his fearless approach and remarkable composure under pressure. However, Suryavanshi’s memorable IPL debut was overshadowed by Rajasthan Royals’ heartbreaking 2-run defeat to Lucknow Super Giants while chasing an 181-run target.
Related Articles
No mutton and pizza for Vaibhav
Following an impressive performance in his IPL debut, Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s childhood coach Manish Ojha revealed that the youngster has been asked to remove mutton and pizza from his diet and has not been eating them to prepare for the IPL.
“Mutton is not allowed as per the instructions. Pizza has been removed from his diet chart). He is just fond of chicken and mutton.” Ojha told Times of India.
“He is a kid, so he used to love pizza a lot. But he doesn't eat it anymore. When we used to give him mutton, no matter how much we gave, he would finish it. That's why he looks a bit chubby," he added.
Next Yuvraj Singh and Brian Lara in the making
Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s coach acknowledged that the Bihar-born cricketer still has a long way to go as he just started off his career, but applauded the youngster for his fearless approach and compared his batting to Yuvraj Singh and Brian Lara.
“He will go a long way. We've seen the way he started the innings, and I can promise you — he will score big in the coming matches.” Manoj Ojha said.
“He's a fearless batter. He has said time and again that he admires Brian Lara. But he's a mix of Yuvraj Singh and Brian Lara. His aggression is just like Yuvraj's," he added.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi already made the buzz when the Rajasthan Royals franchise acquired his services for a whopping INR 1.1 crore at the IPL 2025 Auction. The youngster attracted interest from Mumbai Indians, but the Reliance-owned franchise backed out after the price INR 1.1 crore.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s career
Vaibhav Suryavanshi was already shot to fame before making his IPL debut, when he slammed 58-ball century for India A against Australia A in a four-day match. The 14-year-old played a pivotal role in helping India U19 reach the final of Asia Cup U19, where they lost to Bangladesh.
However, Vaibhav impressed with his performance throughout the tournament, scoring 176 runs, including two fifties, at an average of 44.00 in five matches. The youngster made his senior team debut for Bihar in the Ranji Trophy match against Mumbai, where he became the youngest player to feature in the prestigious domestic tournament.
Vaibhav, born in 2011, began showing his cricket skills when he was just 4 years old. His father, Sanjeev, saw how much he loved the game and built a small playing area for him in their backyard.
When Vaibhav turned 9, his father got him admitted to a cricket academy in the nearby town of Samastipur. It didn’t take long for people to realise that Vaibhav was much more talented than most kids his age.