Vaibhav Suryavanshi, a 14-year-old baby-faced cricketer with oodles of confidence and determination, on Saturday became the youngest player to feature in the IPL as he turned out for Rajasthan Royals against Lucknow Super Giants in Jaipur.
At just 14 years and 23 days, Suryavanshi was the darling of the crowd the moment he walked alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal to open the Rajasthan Royals innings.
With determination writ large on his face, the left-handed batter sent the Sawai Mansingh Stadium crowd into a tizzy when he smacked the first ball he faced -- fourth delivery of the first over from LSG pacer Shardul Thakur -- for a huge six.
Youngest players in the history of IPL:
The ball simply flew over the extra-cover boundary, even as the camera zoomed towards the RR dugout, where injured skipper Sanju Samson had a cheeky smile on his face.
Suryavanshi, born on March 27, 2011 -- the year when India won the World Cup under Mahendra Singh Dhoni -- has played just five first-Class games for Bihar in the 2024-25 season.
He had made history in the IPL 2025 auction when, as a 13-year-old, became the youngest to get an IPL contract, being bought by the Royals for Rs 1.1 crore.
He has also represented India Under-19, scoring a 58-ball century in a four-day game against Australia Under-19.
Before Suryavanshi, Prayas Ray Barman was the youngest cricketer to play in the IPL at 16 years and 157days. Barman had played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru against Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2019.
Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman played for Punjab Kings against Delhi Capitals in 2018 when he was 17 years and 11 days old.
Riyan Parag, who led Royals on Saturday, is the fourth youngest on the list having donned the Royals' lersey against Chennai Super Kings in 2019 at the age of 17 years and 152 days.
By hitting his first-ball in the IPL for a six, Suryavanshi joined an elite club that has the likes of Rob Quiney (RR), Kevon Cooper (RR), Andre Russell (KKR), Carlos Brathwaite (DD, now Delhi Capitals), Aniket Choudhary (RCB), Javon Searles (KKR), Siddesh Lad (MI), Mahesh Theekshana (CSK) and Sameer Rizvi (CSK).
© 2025