Indian batter Vaibhav Suryavanshi on Saturday made history as the youngest ever IPL player at 14 years old after Rajasthan Royals brought him in as their impact substitute against Lucknow Super Giants.
His special day was soured somewhat after his team fell agonisingly short as the Giants held on for a two-run victory in a tense final over.
Avesh Khan picked up two crucial wickets in the18th over to turn the match on its head and Rajasthan finished on 178-5 after the Lucknow fast bowler defended nine off the last over to pull off a stunning victory for his team in Jaipur.
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Suryavanshi, a left-hand batsman, earned a deal in the lucrative T20 tournament after Rajasthan bought him for $130,500 in the November auction when he was still aged just 13.
At 14 years and 23 days, Suryavanshi easily beat the previous record for the IPL’s youngest debutant held by Prayas Ray Barman, who was 16 years and 157 days old when he played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2019.
You can watch his epic first strike in the video player above.
Suryavanshi was added as a wildcard selection for the match at Rajasthan’s home in Jaipur after skipper Sanju Samson was ruled out due to injury.
The teenager then came out to open the innings alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal as Rajasthan sought to chase down 181, replacing medium-pace bowler Sandeep Sharma.
Suryavanshi made an instant impact when he smacked his first ball for a six — a flat-batted hit over the extra-cover boundary — off pace bowler Shardul Thakur.
The baby-faced Suryavanshi, called “Boss Baby” — a popular animated film — by the TV commentators, smashed 34 before being stumped off South African spinner Aiden Markram.
The youngster hit two fours and three sixes in his 20-ball knock and put on 85 runs for the first wicket with fellow left-hander Jaiswal, who has played 19 Tests for India.
His opening six dropped jaws around the cricket world with some fans on X calling it a moment that will never be forgotten.
However, his special day ended in sad scenes when he was seen breaking down in tears as he walked off the field following his dismissal.
The tears were the first time he looked his age the entire match.
It broke many fans’ hearts to see the tears after such a promising performance.
Suryavanshi comes from India’s poorest state, Bihar, and his father is a farmer and part-time journalist, according to Indian media.
He is an explosive batter and rose to prominence with a 58-ball century in an Under-19 Test against Australia — the second fastest ton in youth Tests after England’s Moeen Ali, who hit 100 in 56 balls in 2005.
Suryavanshi made his domestic Ranji debut aged 12 in January last year. Rajasthan coach Rahul Dravid was impressed by his trial in the net session prior to the auction and later said Suryavanshi has got “some really good skills”
