Sanju Samson revealed, why Rajasthan Royals selected 13 year old Vaibhav Suryavanshi for IPL 2025

PC: dnaindia

Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson has praised 13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi ahead of the much-awaited Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. In an interview on AB de Villiers' YouTube channel, Samson revealed that the management had seen Suryavanshi's performance while batting against Australia in the Under-19 Test match and expressed their desire to bring him into the team.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi made headlines in early October by scoring the fastest century by an Indian in Under-19 Test cricket. He achieved this remarkable feat by scoring a century in just 58 balls during his debut red-ball match for the India Under-19 team at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. 13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi's brilliant century in 58 balls is second only to former England all-rounder Moeen Ali, who scored a century in 56 balls for England Under-19 in 2005. During his explosive innings, Suryavanshi scored 104 runs off 62 balls and hit 14 fours and 4 sixes before being run out. After his stellar performance, he was bought by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 1.10 crore in the 2025 mega-auction.

Sanju Samson praised Vaibhav Suryavanshi, highlighting Rajasthan Royals' established track record of identifying young talents and developing them into top players. While discussing the positive culture of the team, he gave examples of players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel. During the interview, Sanju Samson said, “I have seen his highlights. Everyone in the decision-making group of Rajasthan saw him bat in the Under-19 Test match against Australia in Chennai, where he scored a century in 60-70 balls. The shots he played there felt like something special and we felt like we should keep guys like that on the team and see where they end up.”

He further said- “But Rajasthan Royals have a history of doing this. They spot talents and make them champions. For example, there is Yashasvi Jaiswal who came to RR as a young player and is now the rockstar of the Indian team. Ryan Parag, Dhruv Jurel – I think RR likes to win the IPL, but we also want to make sure we win the IPL. Providing enough champions. It will be exciting to meet him.”

Vaibhav Suryavanshi is performing brilliantly in domestic cricket. After making his Ranji Trophy debut with Bihar last season, he has now created history by becoming the youngest Indian player to feature in List-A cricket. At the age of just 13 years and 269 days, Suryavanshi overtook the previous record held by Ali Akbar, who made his List-A debut at the age of 14 years and 51 days for Vidarbha during the 1999/2000 season. He is already recognized as the youngest Indian to make his Ranji Trophy debut and play at the Under-19 level.