Kamal Ghorui
U-19 World Cup sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who first made headlines at 14, is now turning his focus to the Indian Premier League, aiming to deliver a title-winning season for Rajasthan Royals.Sooryavanshi left fans in awe during IPL 2025 as the youngest centurion in the tournament, and earlier this year, he powered India to their sixth U-19 World Cup in Harare with a blistering 175 off 80 balls in the final against England.Speaking on the sidelines of the BCCI Naman Awards, the young batter said his priority is clear: “The goal this IPL season is to win the trophy for the team, as it is a very important thing. I want to do well, and my performance will help the whole team. This is my goal — to contribute to RR’s wins and win the trophy for the franchise.”Sooryavanshi also expressed his delight at reuniting with his U-19 teammates during the awards ceremony. “It feels really nice. Won a trophy as well for India at the World Cup. Because of this award ceremony, feeling nice to meet my teammates and coaches again here,” he said.The Bihar-born youngster made history as the youngest IPL signing when Rajasthan Royals secured him in 2024, aged just 13, for Rs 1.1 crore. Reflecting on those early days, Sooryavanshi said: “When I made my domestic debut, RR had been keeping an eye on me during my domestic and Under-19 games. Their scouting team had been keeping an eye on me for a long time. I felt that I could go to RR because my trial with them had gone very well. I am happy to be with RR, as I have improved a lot too in my life while playing for them.”He also credited learning from the team’s seniors and the legendary Rahul Dravid during his initial IPL experience. “For any youngster, the first IPL camp is always interesting and it was the same for me too. Rahul (Dravid) sir was there at that time, so I got to learn a lot from him. There were a lot of senior players in the team, and I had a good learning experience from them during the first camp as well as the first IPL,” he said.With the IPL 2026 season approaching, all eyes will be on Sooryavanshi as he seeks to turn his prodigious talent into franchise glory.
