Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Fourteen-year-old cricket sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was honoured by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for his outstanding performance in the U-19 World Cup. The young star met the Chief Minister, Deputy CM Samrat Chaudhary and Sports Minister Shreyasi Singh at the CM’s residence and received a reward of Rs 50 lakh as a special gesture for his achievements.
Recently, the BCCI announced a reward of Rs 7.50 crore for the Indian Under-19 cricket team after they lifted the U19 World Cup 2026 title by defeating England in the final.Sooryavanshi played a huge role in India’s U-19 World Cup triumph, especially in the final against England, where he smashed a brilliant 175 runs off just 80 balls. His innings included 15 fours and six sixes, and he reached his century in only 55 balls, one of the fastest in U-19 World Cup history. He was named Player of the Match in the final and also Player of the Tournament after scoring 439 runs in seven matches with a high strike rate. The left-handed opener has already made history at a very young age. He is the youngest player to debut in the IPL and the youngest to score a century in the league. He also became the youngest T20 centurion and the fastest Indian to reach an IPL fifty. Rajasthan Royals signed him for Rs 1.1 crore at the IPL auction, making him the youngest IPL player ever. Vaibhav has been breaking records across formats, including scoring fast centuries in youth Tests, domestic tournaments and List A cricket. He is already India’s leading run-scorer in U-19 ODIs with over 1,400 runs and multiple centuries. Known for his aggressive batting, Sooryavanshi continues to grab headlines with his fearless style, and he is expected to be a key player for Rajasthan Royals in the upcoming IPL season.
