Vaibhav Suryavanshi made history in the Indian Premier League by becoming the youngest player to make his debut at just 14 years old, and he smashed his first ball for six!
Opening batter Suryavanshi, who only turned 14 on March 27, came on as an impact substitute for Rajasthan Royals and scored 34 runs off 20 balls, announcing himself on the big stage by hitting the first ball he faced over extra cover for a maximum.
Suryavanshi hit three sixes and two fours during his 20-ball cameo before he was stumped by Lucknow Super Giants’ captain Rishabh Pant.
Suryavanshi was replacing Rajasthan’s injured skipper Sanju Samson after he suffered an injury to his side against Delhi Capitals in their previous game.
Choosing to bat first, Lucknow lost the in-form Mitchell Marsh (4) and tournament top-scorer Nicholas Pooran (11) early on, and skipper Pant (3) fell cheaply as Lucknow slipped to 54-3 in 7.4 overs.
South African batter Aiden Markram (66) helped to steady proceedings with Ayush Badoni (50) as they shared a 76-run stand.
However, both batters were dismissed in the space of 11 deliveries to leave Lucknow 143-5 before Abdul Samad (30no) hit four sixes off the last four balls to finish the innings positively.
Rajasthan’s chase also began on a high as Suryavanshi held his nerve and thumped his first ball for a six before sharing an 85-run partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal (74) before stand-in captain Riyan Parag (62) added impetus towards the end with his half-century.
But Jaiswal was removed at the start of the 18th over, and, with Rajasthan needing four runs from the final ball, they fell short and ended on 178-5.
Who is Suryavanshi?
Rajasthan Royals’ Vaibhav Suryavanshi (left) and batting partner Yashasvi Jaiswal shared an 85-run partnership
Suryavanshi became the youngest player bought in an IPL auction after being selected by Rajasthan Royals for £105,000.
His selection came just weeks after he smashed a 58-ball hundred for India U19s against Australia U19s in an unofficial Test in Chennai.
He has since hit U19 half-centuries against Sri Lanka and UAE as well as 71 off 42 balls for Bihar against Broda in India’s domestic 50-over competition.
Being born in 2011, he also created another record by becoming the first IPL cricketer born after the tournament began in 2008.
The previous youngest IPL debutant was Prayas Rai Burman, who featured in 2019 at 16 years and 154 days for Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s Mujeeb ur Rahman is the youngest international cricketer in the IPL, debuting at 17 in 2018 for Punjab Kings.
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