Vaibhav Suryavanshi

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (born 27 March 2011) is an Indian cricketer who plays for Bihar in domestic cricket and Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League. As a left-handed batsman, he made his first-class debut in January 2024. He is the youngest Indian List A debutant and the youngest to debut in the Indian Premier League.

Early life

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was born on 27 March 2011 in Tajpur, a village in the Samastipur district of the Mithila region of Bihar, India.

He started playing cricket at four years old, and was initially coached by his father, before joining a cricket academy in Samastipur at the age of nine. Sooryavanshi is closely associated with the Muzaffarpur district of Bihar as he practiced cricket at an indoor stadium there while residing at the home of a relative.

Youth career

Sooryavanshi played as a 12-year-old the Vinoo Mankad Trophy for Bihar's under-19 side.

In 2023, Sooryavanshi played for the India B under-19 side in a quadrangular series, scoring 177 runs in six innings, including two half-centuries.

In September 2024, he made his debut for India under-19 in a match against Australia under-19s. He scored a 58-ball century on under-19 Test debut, the fastest for an Indian under-19 player, before being run out for 104. This was the second-fastest century in under-19 international cricket.

At the 2024 ACC Under-19 Asia Cup, Sooryavanshi scored 76 off 46 balls against UAE under-19s, followed by 67 runs from 36 balls against Sri Lanka in the semi-final.

Domestic career

Sooryavanshi made his first-class debut for Bihar against Mumbai at the reported age of 12 years and 284 days old in January 2024. In doing so, he became the second youngest cricketer to play in the Ranji Trophy for Bihar, and the fourth youngest overall. He became the youngest player in the modern era, beating the record of Yuvraj Singh (15 years and 57 days), with Alimuddin holding the overall record for the youngest Indian first-class debutant at just 12 years and 73 days old in the 1942–43 season for Rajputana.

In November 2024, he became the youngest player to debut in T20 cricket at the age of 13 years and 241 days, appearing for Bihar against Rajasthan in the 2024–25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

In December 2024, he became the youngest Indian player to play List A cricket, during his debut for Bihar in the 2024–25 Vijay Hazare Trophy against Madhya Pradesh at the age of 13 years and 269 days.

IPL career

In November 2024, Sooryavanshi became the youngest player to sign an Indian Premier League (IPL) contract when he was picked by the Rajasthan Royals at 13 years old for .

On 19 April 2025, Sooryavanshi made his IPL debut for Rajasthan Royals against the Lucknow Super Giants at the age of 14 years and 23 days, becoming the youngest debutant in IPL history. He is notably the first IPL player born after the league's inception in 2008. In his debut IPL match, he scored 34 runs in 20 balls, including a first-ball six.

On 28 April 2025, Sooryavanshi became the youngest player to score a century in the IPL, at 14 years and 32 days old, when he scored 101 off 38 balls in a match against Gujarat Titans. He reached his century in just 35 balls, making it the second-fastest century in IPL history behind Chris Gayle (30 balls), and the fastest by an Indian. During the innings, he also became the youngest player with a 50+ score in all T20s and equalled the record for most sixes in an IPL innings by an Indian (11), set by Murali Vijay.

Age dispute

Doubts have been raised over the authenticity of Sooryavanshi's official date of birth. In a 2023 interview, Sooryavanshi stated that he would turn 14 on 27 September 2023, implying that he is about a year and a half older than his official age. In November 2024, his father Sanjiv Sooryavanshi insisted that his official date of birth was accurate and that he had first undergone a bone density test conducted by the BCCI when he was eight and a half years old.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sooryavanshi, Vaibhav
Indian cricketers
21st-century Indian sportsmen
Bihar cricketers
Rajasthan Royals cricketers
2011 births
Cricketers from Bihar
Living people
People from Samastipur