Sanju Samson reacted to Vaibhav Suryanvanshi's signing |Courtesy - BCCI/Instagram
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Sanju Samson opened up on Rajasthan Royals' new signing
- Vaibhav Suryavanshi was signed by RR for Rs. 1 crore
- The 13-year-old could become the youngest player in IPL history
Rajasthan Royals (RR) made the biggest surprise move of the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) Mega Auction after purchasing Vaibhav Suryavanshi for a whopping figure of Rs. 1.1 crore after beating Delhi Capitals in an intense bidding war with Delhi Capitals (DC) on the second day of the auction.
While an uncapped player becoming a crorepati is always an eye-catching moment, a 13-year-old getting an IPL contract left the cricket world in shock. Suryavanshi is the youngest player to get an IPL contract and will become the youngest player to play in the IPL if he is picked in the playing XI in the 2025 season.
RR skipper Sanju Samson opened up on the franchise's decision to spend a bid on the 13-year-old and revealed that the scouts were impressed with his performance for the India U-19 team in a Youth Test series against Australia. Samson further gave the example of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, and Dhruv Jurel to highlight the 2008 champions' focus on developing young talents.
“All of the people in the Rajasthan decision-making group saw him bat at the U19 Test match vs Australia in Chennai, where he scored a hundred off 60-70 balls. The shots that he played there, it felt like that’s something special, and we felt like we have to have those kinds of individuals in the side and see where they go," said Samson on Ab de Villiers' YouTube channel.
“Rajasthan Royals have a history of doing this. They find out talents and make them champions. For example, there is Yashasvi Jaiswal, who came to RR as a youngster and now is a rockstar of the Indian team. There is Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel – they all fall under that line. I think RR loves that kind of thing – yes, we want to win the IPL, but we also want to make sure that we are giving enough champions to Indian cricket," Samson added.
Suryavanshi made his Ranji Trophy debut for Bihar last year and became the second-youngest Indian to play first-class cricket. He made his U-19 debut against Australia and became the youngest player in the world to score a fifty at any level of international cricket. He also played for the Indian U-19 team in the 2024 Men's U-19 Asia Cup.
On Saturday (December 21), he became the youngest Indian to play List A cricket during the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
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