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Rahul Dravid is hopeful Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s career will blossom at Rajasthan Royals.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi is the youngest player sold at an IPL auction. (PTI Photo)
Vaibhav Suryavanshi emerged as the headline maker on the last day of the IPL 2025 mega auction in Jeddah. The 13-year-old batter from Bihar was signed by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 1.10 crore. The deal made Suryavanshi the youngest-ever player to be bought at an IPL auction. Every member of the Rajasthan panel including head coach Rahul Dravid was delighted to have the youngster on board.
Suryavanshi, who registered at a base price of Rs 30 lakh, triggered a bidding war. The Jaipur-based franchise was successful in bagging the deal, beating Delhi Capitals.
Dravid, who has previously trained many young talents as the India U-19 coach, believes that Suryavanshi will be able to flourish as part of the Royals family.
The Indian batting legend feels the teenager once came to the RR camp for trials and since then, the franchise had kept their eyes on the talented batter.
“Vaibhav just came to our trials and we were really happy with what we saw. I think he has got some really good skills. So we thought it would be a good environment for him to grow,” Dravid said.
Suryavanshi developed a passion for cricket at a very tender age. When he was nine, his father enrolled him at a cricket academy in Samastipur.
“After practicing for two-and-a-half years there, I gave Under-16 trials for the Vijay Merchant Trophy. Then I started coaching under Manish Ojha sir, a former Ranji player,” the youngster said during an interaction with Times of India.
Suryavanshi made his debut for the Bihar team at the age of 12, featuring in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy where he registered almost 400 runs in five appearances. He represented the India B U-19 side in an age-group quadrangular series in Mulapadu, Andhra Pradesh in November last year.
Suryavanshi also played for the India A squad in a tournament featuring Bangladesh and England U-19 teams. He made his first-class debut in the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy season during an Elite Group B match against Mumbai on home soil.
In his first match for India U-19, Suryavanshi struck a 58-ball century in a youth Test against Australia in Chennai earlier this year.
- Location :
Jeddah (Saudi Arabia)
