Rajasthan Royals (RR) introduced a fresh face in the IPL 2025 match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), handing a debut to the young talent Vaibhav Suryavanshi. At the age of 14, Vaibhav etched his name in IPL history by becoming the youngest player ever to feature in the prestigious league. His inclusion in the playing eleven came as a replacement for Rajasthan's captain Sanju Samson who was unfortunately sidelined due to an injury.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi makes IPL debut
Born in the year 2011, remarkably after the establishment of the Indian Premier League in 2008, Vaibhav Suryavanshi also achieved a big milestone. He became the first cricketer to participate in the IPL who was born after the tournament's inception, marking a unique generational shift within the league.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi's emergence as a promising talent gained significant momentum during the 2024 season, following a series of noteworthy performances in age-group cricket. He had previously broken records by becoming the youngest Indian cricketer to play in List A cricket. Furthermore, he also became the youngest player to make his debut in the Ranji Trophy, accomplishing this feat at the remarkably young age of 12 years and 284 days.
The Rajasthan Royals demonstrated their commitment to investing in young and emerging talent by acquiring Vaibhav Suryavanshi in the IPL 2025 mega auction. They successfully outbid the Delhi Capitals to secure the then 13-year-old's services for a sum of Rs 1.10 crore, aligning with the franchise's philosophy of nurturing promising young cricketers.
Leading up to the commencement of the IPL season, Vaibhav Suryavanshi showcased his prodigious talent by scoring the fastest century by an Indian in Under-19 Test matches. The young batsman blazed his way to a hundred in a mere 58 deliveries, a record only surpassed by Moeen Ali's all-time fastest Under-19 Test century, which was achieved in 56 balls.
Hailing from Samastipur and born in 2011, Vaibhav Suryavanshi represented Bihar in the 2023 edition of the Cooch Behar Trophy. During one notable match against Jharkhand, he exhibited his attacking prowess by scoring an impressive 151 runs off just 128 balls, an innings punctuated by 22 boundaries and 3 sixes. Suryavanshi also gained valuable exposure in a quadrangular series featuring the India Under-19 A team, the India Under-19 B team, the England Under-19 team, and the Bangladesh Under-19 team, where he registered scores of 53, 74, 0, 41, and 0.
Talking about the RR versus LSG clash, Riyan Parag won the toss and elected to bat first.
Rajasthan Royals' playing XI
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubham Dubey, Riyan Parag(c), Nitish Rana, Dhruv Jurel(w), Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Sandeep Sharma, Tushar Deshpande
Rajasthan Royals Impact Subs: Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya, Kunal Singh Rathore
Lucknow Super Giants' playing XI
Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant(w/c), David Miller, Abdul Samad, Ravi Bishnoi, Shardul Thakur, Prince Yadav, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Avesh Khan
Lucknow Super Giants Impact Subs: Ayush Badoni, Mayank Yadav, Shahbaz Ahmed, Matthew Breetzke, Himmat Singh