Sanju Samson's BIG reveal, explains why Rajasthan Royals picked 13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi for IPL 2025, says...

Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson praised 13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi ahead of much-awaited Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. In an interview on AB de Villiers' YouTube channel, Samson revealed that the management had observed Suryavanshi's performance while batting against Australia in an U19 Test match and expressed a desire to bring him onto the team.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi made headlines by scoring the fastest century by an Indian in U19 Test cricket earlier in October. He achieved this remarkable feat at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, reaching his hundred in just 58 balls during his debut red-ball match for the India Under-19 team.

The 13-year-old's impressive 58-ball century ranks second only to former England all-rounder Moeen Ali, who scored a 56-ball hundred for England Under-19 in 2005. During his explosive innings, Suryavanshi hit 14 boundaries and 4 sixes before being run out for 104 runs off just 62 balls. Following his outstanding performance, he was acquired 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 and developing young talent into top players. He cited examples of players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, and Dhruv Jurel while discussing the team's positive culture.

During the interview, Sanju Samson said,"I have seen his highlights. All of the people in the Rajasthan decision-making group saw him bat at the U19 Test match vs Australia in Chennai, where he scored a hundred of 60-70 balls. The shots that he played there, it felt like, that's something special and we felt like we have to have those kind of individuals in the side and see where they go,"

"But Rajasthan Royals have a history of doing this. They find out talents and make them champions. For example, there is a Yashasvi Jaiswal who came to RR as a youngster and now is a rockstar of the Indian team. There is Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel - they all fall under that line. I think RR loves that kind of thing - 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," he further added.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi has been excelling in domestic cricket. After debuting in the Ranji Trophy with Bihar last season, he has now made history by becoming the youngest Indian player to participate in List-A cricket.

At just 13 years and 269 days old, Suryavanshi surpassed the previous record held by Ali Akbar, who debuted in List-A cricket at 14 years and 51 days for Vidarbha during the 1999/2000 season. He is already recognized as the youngest Indian to debut in the Ranji Trophy and to play at the Under-19 level.