IPL historian Suryavanshi, 13, ‘came to Earth to play cricket’

Dreams came early for cricket-mad Vaibhav Suryavanshi, a shy 13-year-old schoolboy who became the youngest player in the history of the Indian Premier League.

The left-handed batsman and spinner hails from India’s poorest state, Bihar, and his father is a farmer and a part-time journalist, according to Indian media.

The young man’s rise was rapid.

He made his debut as a 12-year-old in the Ranji Trophy in January, then was selected for India’s under-19 team against a team touring Australia.

He promptly hit a 58-ball century.

But it was the bidding war at the IPL player auction held in Saudi Arabia on Monday that catapulted the youngster into global headlines.

The Rajasthan Royals acquired him for $130,500; this was three times its base price.

He now finds himself among the cricketing elite in the world’s most popular and lucrative T20 tournament.

Rajasthan coach Rahul Dravid said that he was impressed with the talent of Suryavanshi, who went through a trial period with the team.

“I think he has really good skills,” former India coach Dravid said.

“We thought this might be a good environment for him to grow.”

Suryavanshi is currently in the United Arab Emirates for the U-19 Asian Cup tournament.

‘The wildest dreams’

His father, Sanjeev, said he was stunned by what was revealed at the auction.

“I am speechless… I don’t know what to say. This is a huge thing for our family,” he was quoted as saying by The Indian Express newspaper.

“I had a feeling he would be chosen, but never in my wildest dreams did I think there would be a bidding war.”

Although he is unlikely to play when the season starts next year, he believes his son is on the right team if he wants to fulfill his potential.

“Over the years, the Royals have produced youngsters – be it Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel or Riyan Parag, they are all products of the Rajasthan Royals franchise,” Sanjeev said.

“I sincerely hope that Vaibhav will follow the same path.”

State coach Pramod Kumar described him as a quiet boy who loved playing cricket.

“He is the kind of player who came to the world to play cricket, he is not satisfied with anything else,” Kumar told The Times of India newspaper.

“He talks very little but if you ask him about cricket he can go on day and night.”

Next year’s IPL dates have not been announced but seasons generally run from March to May.