IPL Pulse: Fantasy Cricket Dugout

  Vaibhav Suryavanshi: The IPL’s Teenage Prodigy or Just Another Hype Machine? At 13, Rajasthan Royals’ Latest Signing Has the Cricket World Buzzing—But Will He Actually Play? The Indian Premier League has never been short of drama, but this year it’s serving up something altogether more extraordinary: a 13-year-old boy with a bat and a dream that’s either the stuff of legend or a spectacular folly. Vaibhav Suryavanshi, a left-handed dynamo from Bihar, has stormed into the IPL spotlight after Rajasthan Royals shelled out Rs 1.1 crore to secure his services for the 2025 season. At an age when most lads are fretting over GCSEs—or, in his case, perhaps the Indian equivalent—he’s poised to become the youngest player in the league’s glitzy history. But here’s the million-rupee question: will he actually play? Let’s start with the raw facts. Suryavanshi is no ordinary 13-year-old. Born on March 27, 2011—smack in the middle of India’s triumphant 2011 World Cup campaign—he’s already carve...