Professional cricket phenom Vaibhav Suryavanshi put on a show for the ages Monday when the 14-year-old hit a century from just 35 balls in the first day of an Indian Premier League (IPL) match between the Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Titans in Jaipur, India.
After hitting his 7th six of the day to reach 100, the teenager took off his helmet and raised both arms upward as he acknowledged the home crowd, who were standing to raucously applaud the performance at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. Suryavanshi’s teammates were ecstatic too, lifting their arms skyward, clapping with huge smiles while some high-fived in appreciation of the young batter.
The standing ovation hit fever pitch for the young star who didn’t linger in the spotlight, putting his helmet back on within moments after becoming the fastest Indian to score a century in the IPL as well as the youngest to score a century in a T20 match.
Suryavanshi’s day ended for 101 off 38 balls, powering the Royals to an 8-wicket win. His innings were filled with 11 boundaries and those 7 sixes, which led to Suryavanshi being named the player of the match.
“I am feeling very good. Scoring my first hundred in the IPL, and that too in just my third innings, feels special,” Suryavanshi said after the match, according to IPL.com.
“All the practice that I have put in over the last four to five months has finally paid off,” he said.
“It feels like a dream to score a century in the IPL. Like I said, I have worked hard in the last few months, and it has all come together beautifully.”
Royals’ captain Riyan Parag called the performance “incredible.”
“We have spent two months with him and coming out here in front of all these people and against the quality bowling attack that GT (Gujarat Titans) had, it’s just something you can’t express in words.”
Earlier this season, Suryavanshi became the youngest cricketer to appear in the IPL when he made his debut for the Royals earlier this month at the age of 14 years and 23 days.
In that first match against the Lucknow Super Giants on April 19, he was the opener and promptly hit his first ball for six to the delight of the packed crowd at the same venue.
He eventually scored 34 off 20 balls before he was stumped by Rishabh Pant off Aiden Markram’s delivery in the ninth over, ending an 85-run partnership he shared with Yashasvi Jaiswal for the first wicket.
And as Suryavanshi walked off, television cameras caught him wiping away a tear.
The IPL is India’s most lucrative sporting competition and one of the biggest leagues in the world, valued at $12 billion in 2024, according to Reuters.
Before making his debut, Suryavanshi had already made history in November as the youngest player to have his rights purchased at the IPL auction. The Royals bought them for 11 million Indian rupees (around $130,000) after a bidding spree with the Delhi Capitals forced his price up.
CNN’s Issy Ronald and Ben Morse contributed to this report.
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