Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, 15, named on TIME magazine’s 100 Rising Stars list
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s rapid rise in international cricket has earned him further recognition. The 15-year-old was named in TIME magazine’s 2026 TIME100 Next Global Rising Stars list. The young left-hander is the only Indian sportsperson on the list and is also its youngest recipient at 15 years of age.
TIME100 Next recognizes 100 new personalities who are shaping the future in various fields. Sooryavanshi features in the ‘Phenom’ category, with TIME describing the Indian teenager as “one of the most electrifying figures in global sport”.
The Bihar-born left-hander first made headlines when he made his senior debut for Bihar in the Ranji Trophy at the age of 12 in 2024. He was then signed by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 1 million ahead of the 2025 IPL season, becoming the youngest player ever to be bought in the IPL auction.
Sooryavanshi made an immediate impact in his debut IPL season, scoring 252 runs in seven innings. His extraordinary performance came against Gujarat Titans when he smashed a 35-ball century and became 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 top scorer. His 72 sixes also surpassed Chris Gayle’s previous record of sixes in a single IPL season.
WHEN DID SOORYAVANSHI DEBUT IN INDIA?
He made his senior debut for India against England in Manchester in July, becoming the youngest male player to represent the country and breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s long-standing record. Sooryavanshi has since played six T20Is and scored 193 runs, his best being 81 against Zimbabwe.
He also continued to reach beyond the IPL and international cricket. In June, Sooryavanshi smashed the fastest List A half-century in men’s cricket, reaching his 11-ball fifty for India A against Sri Lanka A in Colombo.
TIME also highlighted his role in India’s U-19 World Cup triumph earlier this year, where he was named player of the tournament. “No matter how long I’m on the floor, if I dominate and play, I can take the match out of my opponent’s hands,” Sooryavanshi said, according to TIME.
He is currently part of the Indian cricket team at the Asian Games in Japan.
Sooryavanshi is one of only seven athletes on the TIME100 Next list. Other sports figures include American quarterback Arch Manning, NBA star Tyrese Maxey, soccer players Naomi Girma and Folarin Balogun, tennis player Alexandra Eala and basketball player Olivia Miles.
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