"No Mutton Or Pizza": How 14-Year-Old Vaibhav Suryavanshi Prepared For IPL Debut

Rajasthan Royals unearthed a new star in the form of Vaibhav Suryavanshi, just 14 years old, in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 match against Lucknow Super Giants on Saturday. Though the match resulted in a defeat for Vaibhav's franchise, he did grab the attention of many in the cricketing world with his quick-fire knock of 34 runs off 20 balls. The batter began his IPL career with a six on the bowling of Shardul Thakur, on the very first delivery he faced.

Bought for a fee of INR 1.1 crore by Rajasthan Royals in the mega auction last year, Suryavanshi has been kept on a strict diet in order to better prepare himself for life in IPL.

"Mutton nahi khana hai usko, instructions hain. Pizza hata diya hai uske diet chart mein se [Mutton is not allowed for him as per the instructions. Pizza has been removed from his diet chart]. He is just fond of chicken and mutton. He is a kid, so he used to love pizza a lot. But he doesn't eat it anymore. When we used to give him mutton, no matter how much we gave, he would finish all of it. That's why he looks a bit chubby," his coach Manish Ojha told Times of India.

Coach Ojha sees left-hander Vaibhav as a mix of Yuvraj Singh and Brian Lara, asserting that his aggression is pretty similar to the World Cup-winning India all-rounder.

"He will go a long way. We've seen the way he started the innings, and I can promise you - he will score big in the coming matches."

"He's a fearless batter. He has said time and again that he admires Brian Lara. But he's a mix of Yuvraj Singh and Brian Lara. His aggression is just like Yuvraj's," he added.

On the eve of the match against Lucknow, Vaibhav came to know form head coach Rahul Dravid that he will make his IPL debut on Saturday. The 14-year-old called up his coach and made it clear, he would hit the ball for a maximum if such a delivery comes. Taking a single isn't on lucrative deliveries isn't going to be his stance, even at a stage like IPL.

"He was very happy. He called me after his practice session yesterday and said (Rahul) Dravid sir and the management called him and told him that he will be playing against Lucknow Super Giants. He was elated. But was tensed. I said just be calm and play the way you have been. He said chakke waala ball ayega to marunga, rukunga nahi [if the ball asks to be hit for a six, won't hesitate]," the coach said.

"He's a kid. He's emotional. He always talks about Rahul Dravid sir and his support. He looks up to him like a God. Dravid sir is always there to support him," the coach said. "He always says, 'Jab chakka maarne ka ball aayega, to chakka hi maarunga. Single leke kya karunga?' (When there's a ball to hit for six, I'll hit a six. What will I do with a single?). Let me tell you one incident. During practice sessions, I usually give a batter a hypothetical situation and assign a couple of bowlers to challenge him - for example, you need 40 runs in 4 overs, or 60 in 6 overs. This guy often steps in and ends up achieving the target with balls to spare," the coach shared.