How old is Vaibhav Suryavanshi? Youngest IPL player’s father reacts to controversy over son’s age

Bihar’s Vaibhav Suryavanshi broke records on Monday when he became the youngest-ever player to be signed by an IPL franchise at 13 years. He was bought by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 1.10 crore in the mega auction on Monday.

While his base price was Rs 30 lakh and Delhi Capitals made the opening bid, Rajasthan Royals (RR) made the final bid at Rs 1.10 crore to get the player on board. RR coach Rahul Dravid had stated that the team would be a good platform for Vaibhav to grow.

“I think he’s (Suryavanshi) got some really good skills, so we thought it might be a good environment for him to grow in. Vaibhav just came to our trials and we were really happy with what he saw,” said Dravid in an IPL video.

However, controversy soon broke out over Vaibhav’s age with many claiming he was actually 15 years old. The prodigy’s father has now refuted the allegations, stating that they have nothing to hide. “When he was 8 and half years old he first appeared for a BCCI bone test. He has already played India U-19. We don’t fear anyone. He can again undergo age test,” Sanjiv Suryavanshi told PTI.

Suryavanshi added that his son had earlier taken part in the trials of Rajasthan Royals wherein batting coach Vikram Rathour, the batting coach of Rajasthan Royals had given him a match situation of scoring 17 runs in an over.

He added that Vaibhav “hit eight sixes and four fours.” “He just wants to play cricket and nothing else. A few years back he loved Doremon, not anymore,” he added.

Sanjiv added that cricket was a huge investment for Vaibhav, who is currently in Dubai for the U19 Asia Cup.

Vaibhav, who hails from Samastipur, debuted at the age of 12 years and 284 days against Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy last season. He was then the youngest player in the competition’s history.

Suryavanshi was only 12 years old when playing in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy for Bihar, aggregating nearly 400 runs in just five engagements.