Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s rise has a simple start. It began in a small village in one of India’s poorest states. His parents built a practice pitch near their home. Now his younger brother also trains on that same pitch.
Suryavanshi became a big name in world cricket after his debut in the Indian Premier League. He was only 14. He plays for Rajasthan Royals. He hit a six off the first ball he faced. Days later, he scored a 35-ball century. It was the second fastest in IPL history after Chris Gayle.
“He is fearless. That is his nature,” Manish Ojha, one of his first coaches, told AFP ahead of the new IPL season.
His strong start was no accident. In February, he scored 175 runs off 80 balls. He hit 30 boundaries. He helped India beat England by 100 runs in the Under-19 World Cup final in Harare. He won both player of the match and player of the tournament. He scored 439 runs in seven innings at an average of 62.71.
His journey has been fast. He started playing cricket when he was about five. At 12, he made his Ranji Trophy debut for Bihar in January 2024. Soon after, he played for India Under-19 against Australia. He scored a 58-ball century. It was the second fastest in youth Tests after Moeen Ali in 2005.
Ojha praised his match skills. “What makes him special is the ability to execute plans on match days,” he said.
His success came with sacrifice. His father travelled with him often from their village Motipur to Patna. The trip took over two hours one way. His business suffered.
“My small business failed because of my full-time focus on training Vaibhav,” said Sanjeev Suryavanshi.
His mother also made sacrifices. She woke up very early each day.
“It was not easy to wake up at 3am to cook for him so that he could take homemade food with him,” said Aarti Singh.
Their efforts paid off. In 2024, at age 13, he became the youngest player sold in an IPL auction. Rajasthan bought him for USD 130,500. The amount was far above the average yearly income in Bihar.
Born on March 27, 2011, he is the first IPL player born after the league began in 2008.
Earlier this month, he spoke to the media. He joked about big numbers but stayed focused. “The idea is to follow the process and help the team win,” he said.
Back home, his family waits for the next step. His father now watches his younger son train on the same pitch.
“He has been playing extraordinary cricket so far,” said Sanjeev. “Cricket is Vaibhav’s life, dream and faith.”
