IPLA 13-year-old boy has become the youngest player to receive a contract in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the richest cricket tournament in the world.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi from the eastern state of Bihar is purchased by Rajasthan Royals (RR) for 11 million rupees ($130,500; £103,789) in recently concluded auctions in Saudi Arabia.
The left-handed batsman has represented his state in national championships, such as the Ranji and Mushtaq Ali titles, and India in U19 internationals.
Delhi Capitals and RR offered him a starting price of 3 million rupees but RR, where he had previously trained, struck a deal.
Indian cricket has traditionally been dominated by urban centers such as Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru but the IPL has attracted a large number of cricketers from India’s remote villages and small towns.
Suryavanshi, who is in Dubai to play in the India U19 Asia Cup, scored Ranji made his debut at the age of 12 in January against Bihar against Mumbai.
In five matches against Ranji, he scored a highest score of 41. But his career highlight was his 58-ball century when he opened the scoring in an unofficial match for the team U19 against Australia a few weeks ago – which also made him the youngest person to score a century in youth cricket.
He also achieved a record of 332 unbeaten matches in the U19 tournament in Bihar.
RR saw the hidden potential in the youngster when he impressed their coaching staff during a training session.
“He is an incredible talent and of course, you have to have the confidence for him to step up to the IPL level,” team CEO Jake Lush McCrum told ESPN Cricinfo after the auction end.
He said that Suryavanshi’s development will require effort, but “he is a great talent and we are really excited to have him be a part of the franchise”.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi/InstagramAlthough Indian law bans child labor under 14, experts say there are no such guidelines for sports, where players under 14 regularly compete in national events. and international.
But to play an international match organized by the International Cricket Council (ICC), Suryavanshi may have to wait until he is 15 years old as that is the minimum age limit set by cricket’s governing body.
The news of Suryavanshi’s auction and the size of his deal brought a lot of joy to his family, who had to sell land to fund his cricketing dream.
His father Sanjiv Suryavanshi told news agency PTI that “he is now not only my son but also the son of Bihar”.
Mr. Suryavanshi, a farmer from Bihar who migrated to Mumbai for work, worked as a security guard in a nightclub and a public toilet. speak Indian Express newspaper.
His biggest concern now was ensuring that his son remained grounded. “I will talk to him and make sure this IPL auction does not go to his head. “He still has a long way to go,” he said.
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