Vaibhav Suryavanshi: Bihar’s boy becomes youngest IPL player and crorepati at 13
Signed by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 1.10 crore, the left-hand top-order batter has already made his mark in youth cricket, including scoring a century against Australia U-19. He has also played in five Ranji Trophy games.
What were you doing when you were 13? Must be in school, probably in 8th standard and dependent on parents for pocket money. But at the turn of a teen, Bihar’s Vaibhav Suryavanshi has become a crorepati, finding a place in the coveted cricket league Indian Premier League (IPL).
Vaibhav, who was born and brought up in Samastipur, Bihar, has created history by becoming the youngest player to earn an IPL contract at age of just 13 years and 243 days.
Signed by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 1.10 crore, the left-hand top-order batter has already made his mark in youth cricket, including scoring a century against Australia U-19. He has also played in five Ranji Trophy games.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi was not even born, when his team RR won the inaugural IPL title in 2008. He was just 1 week old when India won the ODI World Cup 2011 under the captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Vaibhav is also the fourth youngest in the country to make first-class debut and the second youngest from Bihar when he played against Mumbai in Patna on January 6.
Vaibhav played for Bihar in the 2023 edition of the Cooch Behar Trophy. In one of the matches against Jharkhand, he scored 151 runs off 128 balls with the help of 22 fours and three sixes. In the same match, he also scored 76. He also played in a quadrangular series involving India U-19 A, India U-19 B, England U-19 and Bangladesh U-19. He got scores of 53, 74, 0, 41 and 0 in the tournament. So far he has played 5 first-class games.
Despite financial pressures, his father would regularly take him to Samastipur for cricket coaching sessions, covering a distance of 15 km each time. He even sold his farmland to invest in Vaibhav’s future.
However, what remained constant was Vaibhav’s passion for cricket. It helped Vaibhav, who once loved watching ‘Doraemon’, outgrow other distractions, with his mind firmly set on his cricketing journey. It seems to have all paid off now as the dashing southpaw prepares to shine on the IPL stage.
The internet went into meltdown following the historic feat as fans and pundits alike took to social media platform X, formerly Twitter, to express their opinions on the signing of the teenage wonder.
“When I was 13, I was fighting with my sister over one spoon of Maggi and the TV remote. What a guy he is!” one user tweeted. Another commented, “Was struggling to get selected even in my gully team.” A third posted on X, “I was getting bullied by the 9th grade batchmates.”
A section of users quipped, “Ye news mere parents tak nahi pahuchni chahiye (This news should not reach my parents).”
I will not shy away from disclosure. When I was 13, I was probably hoarding beyblades, figuring how to excel in Maths, and having arguments with my friends about whether Harry Potter or Ron was the better best friend.
On the other hand, Suryavanshi is planning strategies to take down 140+ kmph international bowlers in the next season of the IPL, which is just four months away. However, the journey to become the youngest IPL crorepati has not been a bed of roses.
In fact, at the age of 5, when one would normally procrastinate about waking up for school, the Bihar sensation was perfecting his cover drives. From the age of 8, he was already excelling in the U-16 district trials.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi home town
Born on March 27, 2011, in Bihar’s Tajpur village, Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s cricketing journey began at the age of four with his father, a farmer by profession, noticed his child’s passion for cricket and decided to foster it by building a small playing area for Vaibhav in the backyard of their home. In fact, his father sold his farm in Motipur to fund his son’s cricketing dreams
Once Vaibhav turned nine, Sanjeev enrolled him in a cricket academy in the nearby town of Samastipur.
“After practising for two-and-a-half years there, I gave Under-16 trials for the Vijay Merchant Trophy,” Vaibhav told the Times of India. “I was on standby due to my age. By God’s grace, I started coaching under Manish Ojha sir, a former Ranji player. He has taught me a lot and whatever I am today, it is because of him.”
The young southpaw’s talent was obvious and before long, Vaibhav Suryavanshi quickly rose through the ranks of Bihar cricket.
Head and shoulders above anyone else in his age group, Vaibhav, barely 12 years old at the time, played in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy for Bihar, accumulating around 400 runs in just five matches.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi Brief Profile:
Full Name: Vaibhav Suryavanshi
Date of Birth: March 27, 2011
Playing Role: Batter
Batting Style: Left Hand bat
Bowling Style: Slow left arm orthodox
