Vaibhav Suryavanshi debuts for Rajasthan Royals, youngest to play in IPL

Vaibhav made a sensational start—hitting seasoned Shardul Thakur over covers for a massive six with the first ball he faced in IPL

HYDERABAD: Finally, the day of reckoning has arrived for the 14-year-old gifted young talent, Vaibhav Suryavanshi. And he made a sensational start—hitting seasoned pacer Shardul Thakur over covers for a massive six with the first ball he faced in IPL and then lofting the other pacer Avesh Khan over long-on!

Appearances, they say, are always deceptive. The first impression one gets watching him go out may not really invoke the kind of awe one normally expects when so much is talked about the kind of talent this boy from Bihar has.

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But, Vaibhav, at 14 years and 23 days old, has become the youngest to play in the high-profile IPL for Rajasthan Royals as Impact Player against Lucknow Super Giants in Jaipur on Saturday.

Not since the early days of legendary Sachin Tendulkar has any other youngster attracted so much attention and, more importantly, justified the faith reposed in him at different levels too.

The opener did show his class with an unbeaten 332 in the Randhir Verma under-19 tournament in Bihar to grab the eyeballs.

Representing India under-19, Vaibhav scored two half-centuries in Sharjah last December. And importantly, served a reminder, if needed, with a blistering 42-ball 71 with eight fours and four sixes for Bihar against Baroda in the Vijay Hazare Trophy one-day tournament in Hyderabad last December!

In a way, he was lucky to have someone like Manish Ojha, whose commitment and passion to fine-tune the raw talent of Vaibhav are truly inspiring. Not surprisingly, the boys from Samastipur made is Ranji Trophy debut against Mumbai in 2024, scoring 19 and 12 at 12 years and 284 days!

And, the first big impact on the international stage was made when Vaibhav cracked a 62-ball 104 for India against Australia in the under-19 Test series in Chennai. Clearly, the young talent has arrived on the big stage!

Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson was on record in Hyderabad at the start of this season’s IPL that the key was to keep him in the best shape and provide a relaxed environment, which was something the Rajasthan Royals (RR) is known for.

“We ensure a positive atmosphere in the dressing room and back our players. You never know–he might end up playing for India in a couple of years. I feel he is ready for the IPL. He looks capable of landing a few solid punches here and there. Let us see what the future holds,” were the rich compliments from Samson.