Cricket: 13-year-old becomes youngest IPL auction signing

An Indian teenager has made history in the Indian Premier League (IPL) by becoming the youngest ever player to be sold at the tournament's annual auction where teams compete to sign players.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi, 13, was sold for 11 million rupees (roughly €125,000 or $130,000) to the Rajasthan Royals in the world's most lucrative domestic cricket competition. 

He will be coached by former Indian cricket batsman Rahul Dravid and joins a squad that includes a number of first-team Indian national players, including batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal. 

Who is Vaibhav Suryavanshi?

The left-handed batter comes from the eastern state of Bihar, and came to the fore during 2024 after being selected to play for his local state side in January when he was just 12.

As a powerful opening batsman, Suryavanshi was chosen in September to play for the India under-19 team against Australia under-19s in the longest format of cricket, where he scored a century against opponents much older than himself.

The IPL is a "T20" tournament of short-format, high-scoring games, with Suryavanshi only having played one professional game in this format to date. That match, for Bihar, was against the local state side of Rajasthan — just three days before the Rajasthan Royals' franchise team moved to sign him. 

Will Suryavanshi play in this year's IPL?

There are no age limits for players looking to compete in the IPL, or entering its auction, so in theory at least, Suryavanshi could start competing immediately.

However, Suryavanshi is unlikely to feature during the upcoming 2025 tournament, with the world's best players taking part in the 10-week tournament between 14 March - 25 May.

While he may not take to the field, the teenager will be coached by Dravid who along with being one of India's greatest ever cricketers also served as head coach of the Indian national team between 2021 and 2024.

And, Suryavanshi will spend over two months being guided by not only some of the best Indian batters including Jaiswal and Sanju Samon but also those from across the globe that will play for the Rajasthan Royals. 

How does Suryavanshi's fee compare to that of adult stars? 

Suryavanshi's 11 million rupee fee is not enormous by IPL auction standards, certainly not compared to the record 270 million rupees paid for Indian superstar Rishabh Pant on the opening day of the auction on Thursday. 

However, it is still far more than the 3 million base price he had set for himself, and a higher price than established international stars like the West Indies' Roston Chase and England's Chris Jordan could command.

km/msh (AFP, Reuters)