The Vaibhav Suryavanshi Story: Journey Of The Youngest Ever Player In IPL History

Vaibhav Suryavanshi is the toast of the season in the Indian Premier League. There is hardly any cricket fan left in the country and even in the world who is not aware of his name and his age, for the latter is the reason why he has attracted attention from all over the world. (Full Coverage | Points Table | Cricket News)

Late last year, Suryavanshi became the youngest player to be signed by an IPL team when he was 13. At 14, he has already become the youngest to play in IPL. He smashed Shardul Thakur for a six right on the first delivery he faced and announced himself to the world.

While the natural cricketing talent and the raw power that he possesses is there to see for all, but none of it would have meant anything if not for his hardwork behind the scenes.

Born in Bihar's Samastipur, Suryavanshi did not get the best of facilities to start his cricketing career as his home town is not that developed yet. At 10, he had to move to the capital city of Patna to pursue his dream. There the left-hander came under the guidance of Manish Ojha who identified his potential and guided him to become better.

The prodigious youngster made rapid strides from there onwards. His raw power made waves in local tournaments in Bihar but his first shot to fame on a bigger stage came last year. The Under-19 national selectors, led by Thilak Naidu, were impressed with Suryavanshi and gave him a chance against Australia U-19 in an unofficial Test.

Suryavanshi raced to a 62-ball century and was noticed by the larger cricketing audience. He was just 13 then. He also flexed his hitting muscles in the U-19 Asia Cup. By the end of the year, he had been signed by the Rajasthan Royals for a massive sum of Rs 1.1cr after a fierce bidding war.

And just like that, now he is now a household name. He smashed 34 off 20 balls with three sixes and two fours before getting out. The 14-year-old could not control his emotions after getting out and was seen wiping his tears during the walk back to the pavillion.

Even as his emotions got the better of him, the youngster does not let his taste buds do the same thing. His coach recently revealed how he loves mutton and pizza but because now he has to play at a higher level, he is avoiding things that would affect his fitness. His coach also said that the chubby body of Suryavanshi is the result of this same love for mutton.

From Samastipur, Suryavanshi has made rapid strides to reach the IPL and now his eyes remain fixated at the next destination: the Indian team. However, he will be first tested in the IPL with bowlers now aware of his strengths and weaknesses. Suryavanshi has travelled fast to reach to the IPL but maintaining the same speed to wear the India jersey would not be easy.