Fourteen-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi tore up the IPL record book on Monday night, hammering a 35-ball hundred—101 from 38 deliveries—to propel Rajasthan Royals to an eight-wicket stroll past Gujarat Titans and, in the process, become both the youngest centurion in men’s T20 cricket and the owner of the fastest IPL century by an Indian.
Sending 11 balls over the rope and crunching seven fours, the left-hander raised three figures with a whipped six off Rashid Khan, drawing a roaring standing ovation from a capacity Jaipur crowd. His ton is the second-quickest in the tournament’s 18-year history, bettered only by Chris Gayle’s 30-ball blitz in 2013, and erases Yusuf Pathan’s longstanding 37-ball Indian mark—“even more special to see it broken in Royals colours,” Pathan posted afterwards.
Suryavanshi’s fireworks powered a 166-run opening stand with Yashasvi Jaiswal (70 off 40) that mowed down Gujarat’s 209 in just 15.5 overs and snapped Rajasthan’s five-match slide. “It’s my dream to score an IPL hundred,” the teenager told broadcasters. “I just see the ball and play—there’s no fear.”
Already the youngest player ever auctioned by an IPL franchise at 13, Suryavanshi surged onto the senior stage earlier this month with a first-ball six on debut; Monday’s masterclass arrives barely a year after he played Ranji Trophy cricket at 12 and pummelled a 58-ball ton for India U19. Royals captain Sanju Samson called the innings “the stuff of folklore” and hinted the prodigy could yet drag the 2008 champions into the 2025 playoffs.
Key numbers
- Youngest men’s T20 centurion — 14 yrs 32 days
- Fastest IPL century by an Indian — 35 balls
- Boundaries in the innings — 11 sixes, 7 fours
- Target chased — 210 in 15.5 overs
The victory lifts Rajasthan from eighth to sixth and keeps faint post-season hopes alive; for the rest of the league, it issues a stark warning that the Royals’ most dangerous weapon now arrives still clad in school uniform.