Mumbai: At 13, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi became the youngest to be picked in an IPL auction. At 14, he became the youngest to score an IPL hundred. At 15, he is in line to become the youngest to play T20Is among cricketers from full member nations.
“I think he just has picked himself really,” chief selector Ajit Agarkar told the media on Saturday after naming the baby-faced slayer of bowlers as the 16th member of the India squad for the Ireland and England T20Is in June-July.
The Rajasthan Royals left-hander’s rise has been meteoric after he followed up his smashing first IPL season (252 runs, SR 207) with a phenomenal follow-up (776 runs, SR 237). He hit an astonishing 72 sixes in IPL 2026 to go past Chris Gayle’s all-time record.
Taking the attack to some of the finest bowlers in the game, and more often than not coming out a winner, Sooryavanshi’s eye-catching bat swing has caught the imagination of the cricket world.
If Sooryavanshi is picked in the first T20I against Ireland on June 26, he will be merely 15 years and 91 days old. The previous youngest in T20Is was Afghanistan’s Mujeeb Ur Rahman (16 yrs, 6 months, 22 days). For India across formats, Sachin Tendulkar (16 yrs, 6 months, 22 days) remains the youngest.
Age was never going to be a bar for Sooryavanshi, following the IPL season he just had.
“I know his age, and how young he is, and how early in his career, but (he has done well) two IPLs in a row,” said Agarkar. “We know what he was doing at the U19 level, and that’s probably, perhaps a step down to what IPL is or slightly lower (than) senior cricket is. But we can all see what kind of talent he has. We’re hopeful that if and when he gets an opportunity to actually play for the country, he shows us the same sort of ability.”
Considering his age, BCCI has allowed his parents to accompany him to the UK.
Sooryavanshi has been picked despite India having rich top-order talent. Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan have been hugely successful over the past six months. How to fit Sooryavanshi in will be a happy headache for head coach Gautam Gambhir and new captain Shreyas Iyer. What Sooryavanshi has in his favour is his belligerence, which blends perfectly with India’s aggressive style of play.
In the coming days, Sooryavanshi will turn up for India A in the ODI tri-series in Sri Lanka. This is where the cricketing gaze will be focused on the youngster’s ability to bat with a different gear in 50-over cricket. His List A sample size is small, but going by records (8 matches, 353 runs, avg 44), he looked the part.
To many, his talent could see his T20I entry become the stepping stone to ultimately becoming an all-format cricketer. Watching him graduate to the next level is a journey virtually every cricket fan is invested in.
The selectors want to proceed cautiously. “His performances have made us pick him in the format that he’s excelled over the last couple of seasons of the IPL. With regards to red ball cricket, I mean, he’s a kid,” said Agarkar. “He’s just starting his journey, and I’m sure when the domestic season starts and he plays for his team, plays a bit of red-ball cricket, we will wait and observe. Why jump the gun?
“We’re very excited with what he’s doing in T20 cricket. And hopefully, us as selectors or the BCCI and the coaching staff can help him push in the right direction. At this point, we’re just focused on what he can bring to the T20 team, and we’ll take one step at a time.”
