Sanju Samson reveals why Rajasthan Royals picked 13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi for IPL 2025

Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson 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 an Under-19 Test match and expressed a 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 the remarkable feat by scoring a century in just 58 balls during his debut red-ball match for India's Under-19 team at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. 13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi's brilliant hundred off 58 balls is second only to former England all-rounder Moeen Ali, who scored a century off 56 balls for England Under-19 in 2005. During his blistering innings, Suryavanshi smashed 14 fours and 4 sixes before getting run out for 104 off 62 balls. Following his stellar performance, he was bought by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 1.10 crore in the 2025 mega-auction.

Sanju Samson heaped praise on Vaibhav Suryavanshi, highlighting Rajasthan Royals' established track record of spotting young talent and developing them into top players. He cited the example of players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel while discussing the positive culture of the team. During the interview, Sanju Samson said, "I have seen his highlights. Everyone in the Rajasthan decision-making group saw him bat in the Under-19 Test match against Australia in Chennai, where he scored a century off 60-70 balls. The shots he played there, it felt like it was something special and we felt we should keep such players in the team and see where they reach."

He further said- "But Rajasthan Royals have a history of doing this. They find talent and make them champions. For example, there is Yashasvi Jaiswal who came to RR as a young player and is now a rockstar of the Indian team. Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel - they all fall into this category. I think RR likes these kind of things - yes, we want to win the IPL, but we also want to make sure that we are giving enough champions to Indian cricket. It will be exciting to meet him."

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