Vaibhav Suryavanshi: Youngest Player in IPL History at 13

Historic IPL Auction Achievement

Bihar's Vaibhav Suryavanshi never imagined that he would make headlines on November 25, 2024, as the youngest player ever sold in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL), while offering his debutant wiles to the 13-year-old cricketer who was snapped up by the Rajasthan Royals for a whopping Rs 1.1 crore at the IPL auction held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. His arrival at the auction sparked a bitter contest between the Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals, culminating in this fantastic contract.

Early Life and Cricketing Career

Vaibhav was born on 27th March 2011 in Tajpur village under Samastipur. His love for cricket had reflected since a very young age. At five years old, his father, Sanjiv Suryavanshi, had seen his talent and nurtured it by setting up a practice area at home. By the time he was nine, Vaibhav had joined a cricket academy and started going up the ranks of Bihar cricket very fast.

Record-Breaking Performances

Vaibhav also made headlines when he smashed 104 runs off mere 58 balls against Australia Under-19 in a youth cricket match at Chennai. He became the youngest player who scored a century in youth cricket and broke the record which earlier belonged to some other player. He had debuted in first class at the age of 12 years and 284 days to become one of the youngest from India for this format.

In addition to his century versus Australia, he had played well in some domestic tournaments like the Cooch Behar Trophy by scoring 151 runs against Jharkhand and then taking 76 runs in the second innings.

Family Support and Challenges

Sanjiv Suryavanshi feels proud to say that Vaibhav now not only presents their family but the whole of Bihar. He has spent heaps of money on Vaibhav's cricketing career, to the extent that he had sold a significant portion of their farmland for training. Even the financial crises could not deter him from supporting Vaibhav to realise his dream.

Disputes related to Age

Following Vaibhav's historic signing, questions arose regarding his age, with some alleging that he might be older than stated. In response to these allegations, Sanjiv confirmed that Vaibhav underwent a BCCI bone test at eight and a half years old and is prepared for further testing if necessary. He emphasized their confidence in Vaibhav's age and abilities.

Future Prospects

However, with this new adventure with Rajasthan Royals, Vaibhav will also learn off the cricketing giants Rahul Dravid and Kumar Sangakkara. At the moment, though he's too young to be ushered into the field, this experience certainly stands to mold him into a future professional cricketer. Vaibhav Suryavanshi has recently started his journey, and with his talent and determination, he is sure to make significant contributions in Indian cricket in the years to come.

With inputs from agencies
Image Source: Multiple agencies

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