The rise of teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi in Indian Cricket is nothing short of phenomenal. The 14-year-old has been awarded the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar by the President of India- Droupadi Murmu on Friday to acknowledge the impact he is making within the field of age-group cricket and IPL with record-breaking performances.
As a left-handed batter with a fearless approach to hitting, Suryavanshi has thrilled cricket fans across the country and his rise has led to comparisons to the great Sachin Tendulkar, who himself had a similar rise to stardom at the age of 14.
A YOUNG RECORD-SETTER AT 14
Last year saw Vaibhav Suryavanshi enter the record books as the Youngest Player in the history of IPL with the signing of his two- year contract with the Rajasthan Royals valued at ₹1.1 crore. His performances have completely changed the way people view what young players can do.
Suryavanshi made great strides in the disciplined world of international youth cricket before even stepping foot into an IPL match. He scored a magnificent 58-ball century during an Australian Under-19 Series and played for the Indian Team at the 2024 Asian Cricket Council (ACC) under 19 Asia Cup, where he managed to score 176 runs with an average of 44 and scored two half centuries and a full century.
RAJASTHAN ROYALS ACHIEVE EXPLOSIVE VICTORY WITH THEIR DEBUT AT IPL
Suryavanshi exploded onto the IPL scene when he took over as a replacement for injured captain Sanju Samson to play against the Lucknow Super Giants. On his very first ball, delivered by Shardul Thakur, he hit a huge six and went on to make a total of 34 runs off just 20 balls.
In his first seven innings in IPL history, he has amassed 252 runs, averaging 36.00 and an absolutely mind-boggling strike rate of 206+, with one century and one fifty. His awe-inspiring century against the Gujarat Titans made Suryavanshi the youngest player in T20 cricket to register a century; he also established the fastest IPL century ever recorded by an Indian, as it took Suryavanshi only 35 balls to complete with seven fours and eleven sixes.
DOMINATING THE UNDER-19S AND INTERNATIONAL YOUTH CRICKET
After his incredible IPL debut, Suryavanshi maintained his momentum when the India Under-19s embarked on a tour to England. Suryavanshi established the fastest century ever scored in ODI history while playing for his country in the Under-19 category, scoring 143 runs off only 78 balls (a record-breaking 143 runs in 52 balls). This performance broke Kamran Ghulam’s record of 53-ball century set in 2013.
At the end of the ODI series, Suryavanshi was the highest run-scoring player, accumulating 355 runs (71.00 average) in five matches at an incredible strike rate of 174.01.
Records by Suryavanshi from the Rising Stars Championship and Senior Domestic:
Australia's Suryavanshi continued to climb steadily in his career as he scored a massive 144 from just 42 balls against UAE A during the Rising Stars Cup for Team India A. The 32-ball century is among the fastest one-hundred scored by any Indian cricketer in a T20 format. The 239 runs scored in four matches by Suryavanshi led India in the tournament and came with a strike rate of 243.87.
Suryavanshi is also noted as the youngest cricketer to ever score a century (108 off 61) in the domestic Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy tournament against Maharashtra.
HISTORIC ACHIEVEMENTS IN LIST A CRICKET
At 14 years and 272 days, Suryavanshi made history again when he became the youngest centurion in men's List A cricket when he scored his century in just 36 balls while playing in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025–26 after becoming the youngest centurion in the Plate League division against Arunachal Pradesh, which was only his second game (non-T20).
Suryavanshi also became the fastest player in List A history to score a century, getting to that mark in 59 balls, breaking the previous record set by AB de Villiers at 64 balls. He went on to score a staggering 190 runs off 84 balls, which included 16 fours and 15 sixes, with a strike rate of 226.19.
Suryavanshi has demonstrated excellent performance in a variety of formats, including youth tournaments such as his incredible performance in the Under-19 Asia Cup with a score of 171 against teams from around Asia at the tournament recently held in the United Arab Emirates. He now joins the list of potential candidates for India's Under-19 World Cup in Zimbabwe and the T20 World Cup scheduled for 2021.
THE FUTURE STAR
At 14, Vaibhav Suryavanshi has already attained an extraordinary number of accomplishments that elude the vast majority of players of all levels. Fearless in the way he bats, composed and comfortable in tough situations, and a plethora of cricketing records already at his disposal, Indian cricket may soon see the emergence of the next great-great-grandchild superstar of the future!
