Boy Wonder Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Just 14, Slams Fastest IPL Century
JAIPUR, (ANI) – When 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi walked onto the pitch at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on April 28, few expected to witness history. But in a game brimming with youthful exuberance and fearless cricket, the teenager – younger than the Indian Premier League (IPL) itself – etched his name into the record books.
With a blistering 101 off just 38 deliveries, Vaibhav not only became the youngest player ever to score a T20 centurybut also notched up the fastest IPL century by an Indian, leaving cricket lovers across the nation – and beyond – stunned and delighted.
Batting for Rajasthan Royals (RR) against Gujarat Titans (GT), the left-handed dynamo struck seven boundaries and a jaw-dropping 11 sixes, scoring at a strike rate of 265.79. For context, when India celebrated its historic 2011 World Cup win, Vaibhav was just six days old.
Born in 2011, just as the IPL was blossoming into a global cricket spectacle, Vaibhav has risen swiftly through the ranks of Bihar’s domestic and age-group cricket circuit. He turned heads in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy 2023, where he amassed 393 runs in five matches, including a century and three fifties – averaging a phenomenal 78.60.
In early 2024, he became the youngest Indian to debut in first-class cricket since 1986, making his Ranji Trophy debut for Bihar at just 12 years and 284 days old. Though initial outings weren’t standout, his potential was clear.
A century against Australia U19s in just 58 balls during a tour to Chennai later that year made headlines, marking the fastest hundred in U19 Test history by an Indian.
IPL scouts took notice. At the November 2024 mega auction, a bidding war erupted, and Rajasthan Royals signed him for ₹1.1 crore, making him the youngest player ever to receive an IPL contract.
The left-hander’s IPL debut against Lucknow Super Giants saw him hit a six off his very first ball – bowled by India pacer Shardul Thakur. Though that innings ended at 34, his promise was unmistakable.
That promise exploded into fireworks on April 28.
Facing a formidable GT bowling lineup – featuring big names like Mohammed Siraj, Ishant Sharma, Rashid Khan, and Prasidh Krishna – Vaibhav was unfazed. He mixed caution with carnage, particularly tearing into Ishant Sharma and Afghanistan’s Karim Janat, whom he plundered for 28 and 30 runs in single overs respectively.
A towering six over midwicket off Rashid Khan – a veteran with nearly 650 T20 wickets – brought up his century in just 35 balls. The celebration was met with a standing ovation from RR coach and Indian cricket legend Rahul Dravid, who is more associated with stoic defense than daring aggression – but couldn’t help but cheer the new age of Indian cricket.
With his style embodying the “See ball, hit ball” mantra of modern T20 cricket, Vaibhav Suryavanshi may well be India’s next big sensation. And at just 14, the story is only beginning.
