Vaibhav Suryavanshi, a 13-year-old left-handed top-order batter from Bihar, has made history by becoming the youngest player to secure an IPL contract, valued at Rs 1.10 crore. The Rajasthan Royals (RR) signed him just days before his 14th birthday.

Suryavanshi, who is 13 years and 243 days old at the time of the contract, has already represented India Under-19, where he scored a century as an opener against Australia in a four-day match in Chennai.

Bids for Vaibhav Suryavanshi started at his base price of INR 30 lakh, with Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Delhi Capitals (DC) quickly engaging in a bidding war. Finally, the deal went in favour of RR.

After the auction, RR CEO Jake Lush McCrum shared his excitement, saying, "He’s been to our high-performance centre in Nagpur, where he had trials and impressed our coaching staff. He’s an incredible talent, and of course, confidence is key for him to step up to the IPL level. There’s a lot of work to be done in the coming months to further develop him, but he’s a fantastic prospect, and we’re excited to have him as part of our franchise."

Vaibhav Suryavanshi, from Samastipur, a city located about 100 kilometres northeast of Patna, has already begun to make his mark in Indian cricket. Since his debut against Mumbai earlier this year, he has played five Ranji Trophy games. Currently, he is representing Bihar in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, playing T20 cricket. On November 23, he made his T20 debut against Rajasthan, marking another exciting step in his young cricketing journey.

His biggest achievement so far has been his stunning century against Australia U-19, where he scored 104 runs in just 58 balls. At the age of 13 years and 187 days, he became the youngest player to score a century in youth cricket, breaking the previous record held by Bangladesh’s current captain, Najmul Hossain Shanto, who was 14 years and 241 days when he set the mark.

Suryavanshi also secured a triple-century with an unbeaten score of 332 runs in the U-19 Randhir Verma Tournament in Bihar. He took inspiration from his idol, Brian Lara, and often turned to former India opener Wasim Jaffer for advice on improving his game. The two first met during a U-19 white-ball tournament in Bangladesh in November 2023.

Vaibhav’s father has been his main coach who paved the way for his success. After not making it to the higher levels, he shifted Vaibhav to coaching after realizing his potential. He has been guiding him ever since he showed a serious interest in pursuing cricket professionally.