File photo of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi© X/Twitter
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi turned 15 on Friday (March 27). For the prodigy, who already has the fastest IPL century by an Indian and several U19 world records, this marks a major milestone. After turning 15, Sooryavanshi is now eligible to play for the Indian senior team. According to the ICC’s Minimum Age Eligibility criteria: “A player will only be eligible to represent a National Cricket Federation in an International Match (including ICC Events and U19 Events) if he or she is aged 15 or over on the relevant squad submission date (in the case of ICC Events including U19 Events) or on the date of the first match of the series/tournament to be played (in the case of all other International Matches).”
Sooryavanshi was 14 years old when he played in the recently concluded U19 World Cup. The rule also has provisions for “exceptional” circumstances.
“In order to safeguard the welfare of minors playing in International Matches (including when travelling and to ensure their physical safety), the ICC has agreed to introduce a minimum age of 15 for all players competing in International Matches at U19 level and above, whether as part of an ICC Event or otherwise.
“However, the ICC acknowledges that in certain exceptional circumstances there may be justifications for allowing someone younger than 15 to play in an International Match. Where a National Cricket Federation considers that exceptional circumstances exist to justify allowing a player younger than 15 to play in an International Match, it may be open for the Exceptional Circumstances Committee to make such a determination.”
Sooryavanshi will next play for the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2026. RR captain Riyan Parag on Thursday said Indian batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi should be allowed to enjoy his game without taking any additional pressure on or off the field.
Parag indicated that Sooryavanshi will pair up with India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal in the IPL beginning March 28 and said the youngster should be given his space and time to continue developing his game without any outside pressure.
“As a captain, my message to him would be to not do a lot of press conferences or follow a lot of media,” Parag told reporters during a pre-season press conference.