At 14, when most kids just dream & eat ice-cream, Vaibhav Suryavanshi created history when he became the youngest ever to score a century in men’s T20 cricket on Monday, 28 April.
Playing for Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, Suryavanshi hit his 100 off 35 balls that included 11 sixes and seven fours, this setting the record for the fastest century for any Indian in the IPL. He bettered Yusuf Pathan’s record of a ton in 37 balls for RR against Mumbai Indians in 2010. He was finally out for 101 off 37 balls.
Suryavanshi also reached his 50 in just 17 balls, the fifth-fastest in league history, making him the youngest ever to score an IPL fifty. Rajasthan Royals defeated Gujarat Titans by eight wickets.
The record of fastest century in IPL belongs to former West Indies batter Chris Gayle, who had brought up his triple figure mark in 30 balls for Royal Challengers Bengaluru against Pune Warriors in April 2013.
There was no fear while playing for Vaibhav Suryavanshi, aged just 14 years and 32 days, who carved his name in the cricket history books, and his accomplishment felt like a ‘dream’.
“It feels really good. It was my first century in the IPL in my third innings. What I’ve been practicing for the last three-four months, the result is showing. I don’t see the ground so much, just focus on the ball. There is no fear. I do not think much about the bowlers, I just focus on playing,” Suryavanshi said in the post-match presentation.
Born on March 27, 2011, in Bihar, Vaibhav is the youngest player in the IPL list. During the IPL mega-auction last year, Suryavanshi became a Rajasthan Royal player for Rs 1.1 crore (NZ$ 2,32,900 approx).
He made his first-class debut for Bihar in January 2024 when he was not even 13 years old. Last year, he was part of India U19’s match against Australia in Chennai, where he smashed a 58-ball century.
He also made his T20 debut for Bihar during the SMAT 2024 tournament. He was also the seventh-highest run-scorer in the ACC Under 19 Asia Cup 2024-25. He scored 176 runs in 5 matches in the tournament with a highest score of 76.
Various prominent cricket stars have congratulated the Rajasthan Royal’ newest batting sensation.
Legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar hailed Suryavanshi’s “fearless approach”.
“Vaibhav’s fearless approach, bat speed, picking the length early, and transferring the energy behind the ball was the recipe behind a fabulous innings. End result: 101 runs off 38 balls. Well played!!,” Tendulkar posted on X.
His team, the Rajasthan Royals, also hailed the knock as “one for the ages”.
Former Indian cricketer Kris Srikkanth wrote on social media, “At 14, most kids dream & eat Icecream. Vaibhav Suryavamshi delivers a fabulous 100 against one of the contenders for IPl! composure, class, and courage beyond his years.”
