Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s rapid rise in international cricket has earned another recognition. The 15-year-old has been named in TIME magazine’s 2026 TIME100 Next list of global rising stars. The young left-hander is the only Indian athlete on the list and, at 15, is also its youngest honouree.
TIME100 Next recognises 100 emerging figures who are shaping the future across different fields. Sooryavanshi features in the ‘Phenom’ category, with TIME describing the Indian teenager as “one of global sport’s most electrifying figures”.
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The Bihar-born left-hander first made headlines when he made his senior debut for Bihar in the Ranji Trophy at 12 in 2024. He was then signed by the Rajasthan Royals for Rs 1 crore ahead of the 2025 IPL season, becoming the youngest player ever bought at an IPL auction.
Sooryavanshi made an immediate impact in his debut IPL season, scoring 252 runs in seven innings. His standout performance came against Gujarat Titans, when he smashed a 35-ball century to become the youngest centurion in IPL history.
His second IPL season took his rise to another level. Sooryavanshi scored 776 runs in 16 matches for Rajasthan Royals, including a century and five fifties, and finished as the team’s leading run-scorer. His 72 sixes also broke Chris Gayle’s previous record for most sixes in a single IPL season.
WHEN DID SOORYAVANSHI MAKE HIS INDIA DEBUT?
He made his senior India debut against England in Manchester in July, becoming the youngest male player to represent the country and surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s long-standing record. Sooryavanshi has since played six T20Is and scored 193 runs, with a best of 81 against Zimbabwe.
He has also continued to make an impact outside the IPL and international cricket. In June, Sooryavanshi smashed the fastest List A half-century in men’s cricket, reaching his fifty in 11 balls for India A against Sri Lanka A in Colombo.
TIME also highlighted his role in India’s Under-19 World Cup triumph earlier this year, where he was named Player of the Tournament. “For whatever duration I am on the ground, as long as I dominate and play, I can snatch the match from opponents’ hands,” Sooryavanshi was quoted as saying by TIME.
He is currently part of India’s cricket team at the Asian Games in Japan.
Sooryavanshi is one of only seven athletes on the TIME100 Next list. The other sports figures include American quarterback Arch Manning, NBA star Tyrese Maxey, footballers Naomi Girma and Folarin Balogun, tennis player Alexandra Eala and basketball player Olivia Miles.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
