When Rajasthan Royals lifted their paddle for the 13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, little did they know they would make history in the IPL 2025 mega auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The left-handed batter made history a few months ago when he scored a 58-ball century against Australia U-19, becoming the youngest-ever centurion in professional cricket. His century was also the second-fastest century at youth level, only behind England’s Moeen Ali. On November 25 (Monday), the left-hander drew an insane bidding war between RR and Delhi Capitals (DC), with RR winning the bid at 1.1 crore, making him the youngest-ever player in IPL history. 

But did you know the interesting story behind his rise? 

In January 2024, just at the age of 12, Vaibhav first made headlines when he broke into Bihar’s Ranji Trophy team against Mumbai. When the focus ideally should have been on the 12-year-old, it was instead ‘infamously’ known for Bihar sending two teams to play a Ranji Trophy clash. 

Also Read: Vaibhav Suryavanshi: How this 13-year-old is putting Bihar on India’s cricket map

Once that died, however, all the focus was on whether Vaibhav was actually 12. But the real story—a journey of a 12-year-old filled with talent pushing through to the top—was lost heavily in all the hullabaloo. 

“I think he [Vaibhav] was 9 or 10 years old when the academy started making him play in regional Under-16 and Under-19 tournaments. He scored big runs. I watched a few of his games, and he would pull the ball on the front foot. I was awestruck and then decided to take him to Patna (Bihar’s capital),” Sanjeev Suryavanshi told Cricket.com. 

That’s what impressed BCA’s President Rakesh Tiwary, who put him straight into the setup. 

“Mr Tiwary [Rakesh] got Vaibhav straightaway into the state’s U19 team for the Vinoo Mankad Trophy 2022-23, where he hit 393 runs in five innings at an average of nearly 79. Though Bihar’s performance was not brilliant, Vaibhav smashed three fifties and a hundred to get selected in the U19 Challenger Trophy involving four Indian teams. 

“He made his way to India B’s squad for the quadrangular Under-19 series, involving two Indian teams (A and B) and a team each from England and Bangladesh.”

Luckily for the 13-year-old, he’s in the right hands of Rahul Dravid, who has a knack of bringing the best out of young talents.

P.S. Vaibhav Suryavanshi is younger than the IPL, with the Bihar cricketer born in 2011.

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