No pizza, no mutton, only cricket: 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s road to IPL | Cricket News

Rajasthan Royals’ Vaibhav Suryavanshi walks off the sphere after shedding his wicket in the course of the Indian Premier League cricket match between Lucknow Super Giants and Rajasthan Royals at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, India, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Surjeet Yadav)

NEW DELHI: At an age when most 14-year-olds are relishing their favorite meals at eating places, Vaibhav Suryavanshi has already made some critical sacrifices for his cricketing desires – giving up his two favourites – pizza and mutton. That self-discipline is paying off. Hailing from Samastipur, Bihar, the younger batter on Saturday etched his identify within the historical past books because the youngest participant to function within the Indian Premier League.
The buzz round him had been constructing for the reason that public sale final yr, and on Saturday, he made certain to dwell up to the hype.

Wearing the Rajasthan Royals jersey, Suryavanshi took on one among India’s prime bowlers Shardul Thakur, and launched him over cowl for a towering six — a shot that screamed loud and clear: “I’ve arrived.”
Last yr, Suryavanshi grew to become the youngest to get an IPL contract, acquired by the Royals for Rs 1.1 crore.

“Mutton nahi khana hai usko, directions hain. Pizza hata diya hai uske diet chart mein se [Mutton is not allowed for him as per the instructions. Pizza has been removed from his diet chart]. He is just fond of chicken and mutton. He is a kid, so he used to love pizza a lot. But he doesn’t eat it anymore. When we used to give him mutton, no matter how much we gave, he would finish all of it. That’s why he looks a bit chubby,” coach Manish Ojha informed TimesofIndia.com in an unique interview.
“He will go a long way. We’ve seen the way he started the innings, and I can promise you — he will score big in the coming matches.”
“He’s a fearless batter. He has mentioned repeatedly that he admires Brian Lara. But he’s a mixture of Yuvraj Singh and Brian Lara. His aggression is rather like Yuvraj’s,” he added.
Who’s that IPL participant?
THE BIG DAY
A day earlier than Rajasthan Royals’ conflict in opposition to Lucknow Super Giants on the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, Suryavanshi was exhausting at work beneath the watchful eye of the franchise’s High Performance Director Zubin Bharucha. After wrapping up his coaching session, the 14-year-old packed his equipment bag and headed again to the workforce resort.
Later that night, round 8 PM, his cellphone rang — it was a name from the RR administration. The message was brief however life-changing: ‘Get prepared to your IPL debut’.

“He was very happy. He called me after his practice session yesterday and said (Rahul) Dravid sir and the management called him and told him that he will be playing against Lucknow Super Giants. He was elated. But was tensed. I said just be calm and play the way you have been. He said chakke waala ball ayega to marunga, rukunga nahi [if the ball asks to be hit for a six, won’t hesitate],” the coach mentioned.
On matchday, Suryavanshi walked out to the center alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal. After a fist bump, the teenager took his place on the non-striker’s finish.

Jaiswal performed a couple of deliveries earlier than rotating the strike, and the second Suryavanshi took guard, the Jaipur crowd erupted in pleasure. The 14-year-old responded in model — by launching a six to announce his arrival on the large stage. He went on to play a outstanding knock, scoring 34 off simply 20 balls, earlier than being stumped by Rishabh Pant.
What adopted was a heart-wrenching second: {the teenager}, overwhelmed by emotion, walked off the sphere wiping away tears.
“He’s a kid. He’s emotional. He always talks about Rahul Dravid sir and his support. He looks up to him like a God. Dravid sir is always there to support him,” the coach mentioned.
“He always says, ‘Jab chakka maarne ka ball aayega, to chakka hi maarunga. Single leke kya karunga?’ (When there’s a ball to hit for six, I’ll hit a six. What will I do with a single?). Let me tell you one incident. During practice sessions, I usually give a batter a hypothetical situation and assign a couple of bowlers to challenge him — for example, you need 40 runs in 4 overs, or 60 in 6 overs. This guy often steps in and ends up achieving the target with balls to spare,” the coach shared.

THE STRUGGLE
Suryavanshi was born on March 27, 2011 — the same year India lifted the World Cup under MS Dhoni’s leadership. Now, at just 14, he has already played five first-class matches for Bihar in the 2024-25 domestic season.
His cricketing journey began early.
He was only four years old when his father, Sanjeev Suryavanshi, a farmer, noticed him smashing a plastic ball around with great power and timing.

After a long day in the fields, Sanjeev would throw underarm deliveries to his son and they would play together. Eventually, Sanjeev created a small practice area in their backyard, giving Vaibhav space to hone his skills.
Impressed by his son’s passion and commitment, Sanjeev took Vaibhav to Brajesh Jha, his first coach, at an academy in Samastipur. After training under Jha, they made another significant move — this time to Patna, where Manish Ojha helped further shape Vaibhav’s cricketing abilities.
The 90 km journey from Samastipur to Patna was no easy task, but Sanjeev was determined. He bought a car and would drive his son to the academy. Vaibhav trained under Ojha on alternate days.
By the time he was 14, Suryavanshi had already become a formidable force in various local tournaments across Bihar.
Whether it was the Heman Trophy, Vinoo Mankad Trophy, the Challengers Trophy (U-19), or the ACC Under-19 Asia Cup, Vaibhav checked every box in style, steadily rising through the ranks to reach this significant level in his career.
“He has been a dominant batter each time he’s come to the crease. He was affected person for his flip. He performed in Rajasthan Royals’ eighth sport. Of course, no one needs to sit within the dugout and watch others play. He was additionally itching to get out within the center, however I informed him to be affected person, continue to learn, and watch for his likelihood. Now the possibility got here — and he has delivered,” the coach mentioned.