Australia’s World Cup-winning captain Steve Waugh said he was left in awe of Rajasthan Royals’ batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who lit up the IPL 2025 with a sensational debut season.
At just 14 years old, Sooryavanshi piled up 252 runs from seven matches at a strike rate of 206.56 and an average of 36.
Vaibhav’s record-breaking run began when he became the youngest player in IPL history, debuting against Lucknow Super Giants at just 14 years and 23 days.
Nine days later, Sooryavanshi became the youngest IPL centurion with a blistering 35-ball 100 against Gujarat Titans. It was also the fastest century in the IPL by an Indian player and the second-fastest overall.
He capped the season with a mature 57 off 33 balls against Chennai Super Kings.
“I watched that century and I just couldn’t believe how well he struck the ball, how easy he was hitting sixes, and how relaxed he was,” Waugh said during a media interaction as part of the ‘Australian Summer of Cricket 2025-26’.
Waugh hailed Sooryavanshi as a “fantastic attraction” for cricket. “At 14, he has no concept of pressure… just complete freedom. That was great to watch. The challenge now will be to keep it under control,” he added.
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The IPL performances also earned Sooryavanshi a call-up to India’s U19 team for the upcoming tour of England, where they will play a warm-up match, five Youth ODIs, and two multi-day games.
“I don’t watch a lot of IPL games because of the time difference,” Waugh admitted, “But when someone like him comes along, you make time to watch.”
Sooryavanshi was scouted by the Rajasthan Royals during pre-auction trials last year, where he impressed with his raw hitting power.
At just 13, he became the youngest player to land an IPL contract after the Royals snapped him up at the 2025 mega auction as a star for the future.
