On Saturday, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, a left-handed batter from Bihar, made his debut in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Rajasthan Royals against Lucknow Super Giants. He shattered the record for being the youngest debutant in the league by more than two years. Listed below are six of the youngest players in the tournament’s history, which spans 18 seasons:
1. Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who is 14 years old and 23 days old (in the Indian Premier League 2025 match against the Lucknow Super Giants).
After Sanju Samson, the captain of the Rajasthan Royals (RR) team, suffered an injury, the left-handed opener was brought into the team’s lineup on Saturday. At the age of 13, he made his debut in the national spotlight by scoring a century off of 58 balls against Australia Under-19. With the performance, Suryavanshi became the youngest player in the history of youth cricket to make a century. He was only 13 years and 187 days old at the time. Following Suryavanshi’s impressive performance at RR’s high-performance center in Nagpur, the company decided to acquire him for a sum of INR 1.1 crore.
In a four-day match against Australia Under-19, he scored a century off of 58 balls for India Under-19. Additionally, his 176 runs at an average of 44 helped India advance to the final of the Under-19 Asia Cup in 2024. In the Randhir Verma Tournament, which is a competition for under-19 players in Bihar, he also has a triple-century to his name, which is made up of an unbeaten score of 332.
2. Prayas Ray Barman, who is 16 years old and 157 days old (in the Indian Premier League 2019 match vs Sunrisers Hyderabad)
After finishing first in the wickets chart for Bengal in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he was selected by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for a sum of INR 1.5 crore on the spot. Gary Kirsten, the head coach, informed him that he would be playing in the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad just a few minutes before the toss. He made his debut in the Indian Premier League at the age of 16 years and 157 days, making him the youngest player to ever do so. He gave up 56 runs in four overs while bowling to Jonny Bairstow and David Warner on a pitch that was flat and the sun was shining in the afternoon. This is the only Indian Premier League game he has ever played in his career, and after 2022, he has only participated in three domestic games.
3. When playing against the Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League in 2018, Mujeeb Ur Rahman was 17 years and 11 days old.
When the Afghan mystery spinner made his debut for Kings XI Punjab in 2018, he achieved a momentous milestone. As soon as he was brought into the game during the powerplay, he had an immediate impact by stranding Colin Munro leg before wicket with his very first ball. Before this game, his unconventional bowling had already garnered him notice on a global scale, and he came back to repay the faith by bowling a full four-over session with figures of two wickets for twenty-eight runs. During the current season, he was brought into the Mumbai Indians squad as a late replacement substitute.
4. Riyan Parag, who is 17 years old and 152 days old (in the Indian Premier League 2019 match vs Chennai Super Kings)
Mitchell Santner’s six off the penultimate ball and MS Dhoni’s infamous outburst against the umpires made the inaugural Indian Premier League appearance of the all-rounder from Assam a nail-biting match that would be remembered for its suspenseful nature. During his first season in the Indian Premier League, Parag also made history by becoming the youngest player to ever hit a fifty-point score. Since that time, he has established himself as a consistent member of RR, has been preserved throughout the years, and is currently serving as the vice-captain of the team.
5. Pradeep Sangwan, who was 17 years old and 179 days old when he played against Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League in 2008.
At the beginning of the first season, Pradeep Sangwan was regarded as a prize capture. Not too long before that, he had won the U-19 World Cup, and for almost a decade, he was the youngest player to make his debut. On his first game, which was against CSK, he scored forty runs but did not take any wickets. He only had one season of significant cricket, which consisted of thirteen games in 2009. It was in the Indian Premier League 2022 that he made his final appearance, and he has not participated in any cricket matches since the beginning of 2024.
6. Sarfaraz Khan, who was 17 years old and 182 days old when he played against Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League in 2015.
In 2015, the batter from Mumbai made his debut for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), and it appeared that they were eager to make a long-term investment in him. A few years later, he was one of their retained employees, however he was terminated from his position in 2018. In the year 2025, when he was at the pinnacle of his red-ball form and ten years after making his debut in the Indian Premier League, he was unsuccessful in finding a buyer in the auction for the second consecutive season.
