From Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to Uma Kashvi: The teenagers rewriting franchise cricket's age records

Indian cricket has a new generation making headlines before even reaching adulthood. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who became the youngest player to be bought at an Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, now has a parallel story in women's cricket. Fifteen-year-old Uma Kashvi has entered the record books as the youngest player ever signed at a Women's Premier League (WPL) auction.

Although they belong to different teams and competitions, their journeys have something in common: years of work in domestic and age-group cricket before the spotlight of franchise cricket found them.

Their stories also highlight how Indian franchise cricket is increasingly looking beyond established names to identify young talent.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi: From Bihar to the IPL record books

Born on March 27, 2011, in Bihar's Samastipur district, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi began playing cricket at a very young age. His father, Sanjeev Sooryavanshi, recognised his interest early and helped him develop the game.

Vaibhav received his first cricket bat on his fifth birthday. His father soon began giving him throwdowns and took him to local coaching sessions. Later, the family made regular journeys from Samastipur to Patna, nearly 100 kilometres away, so that he could train under coach Manish Ojha.

His progress was remarkably quick. In January 2024, at just 12 years and 284 days, Vaibhav made his first-class debut for Bihar against Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy. He became the fourth-youngest player to appear in the competition's history and the youngest since 1986.

His performances at the junior level further strengthened his reputation. In October 2024, he scored 104 off 62 balls against Australia Under-19 in a youth Test, becoming the youngest centurion in youth cricket at the time.

The IPL opportunity followed soon after.

On November 25, 2024, Rajasthan Royals bought Vaibhav for Rs 1.10 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction in Jeddah. He was only 13, making him the youngest player ever sold at an IPL auction. Rajasthan Royals had to compete with Delhi Capitals before securing his services.

The signing was more than an auction headline. It reflected the franchise's willingness to invest in a teenager who had already demonstrated his ability in domestic and youth cricket.

Vaibhav subsequently made his IPL debut against Lucknow Super Giants on April 19, 2025. Nine days later, he scored 101 off just 38 deliveries against Gujarat Titans, becoming the youngest centurion in IPL history.

His rise demonstrated how a player from a relatively small cricketing centre could progress through domestic cricket and earn an opportunity on one of the sport's biggest stages.

Uma Kashvi: The family effort behind a historic WPL signing

Almost two years after Vaibhav's auction breakthrough, women's cricket has witnessed a similar milestone.

Born on April 9, 2011, Karnataka's Uma Kashvi became the youngest player ever picked at a WPL auction when Delhi Capitals signed her for Rs 10 lakh on October 28, 2026. At 15 years and 202 days, she broke the previous record held by Deeya Yadav, who was also signed by Delhi Capitals at the age of 16.

However, Kashvi's journey did not begin with the auction.

She started playing cricket at seven, with her uncle, Sai Satya Vijay, playing a significant role in her development. Vijay had himself played inter-district cricket in Andhra Pradesh but could not pursue the game further. He wanted his niece to have the opportunity he had missed.

Kashvi initially trained at an academy near her home in Bengaluru's Bellandur. Her uncle took responsibility for much of her early development. Her routine included morning runs, academy sessions in the afternoon and additional batting practice.

According to Vijay, he would bowl around 30 overs of sidearm deliveries to her every day after her regular training. When Kashvi was 13, he took her to New Innings Cricket Enterprise, where coach Arjun Dev further worked on her development.

Vijay eventually left his full-time IT job to devote more time to her cricketing career.

Her performances began attracting attention in age-group cricket. In the 2025-26 BCCI Women's Under-15 One-Day Trophy, Kashvi scored 516 runs in six innings at an average of 172. Her tally included three centuries and a half-century.

She also captained Karnataka's Under-15 side and represented the state in the Maharani T20 League for Bengaluru Blasters.

Her progress took her to the India Under-19 team. During the June-July 2026 tour of Sri Lanka, she featured in two youth ODIs and three T20 matches, picking up two and four wickets respectively.

The WPL auction was therefore recognition of a player who had already begun making her mark in age-group cricket.

Two journeys, one changing landscape

Vaibhav and Kashvi have reached different milestones, but their stories point towards an important development in Indian cricket.

Vaibhav became the youngest player bought at an IPL auction at 13, while Kashvi achieved the corresponding distinction in the WPL at 15. Both were identified through performances outside the senior international circuit.

Their contracts, however, are starting points rather than guarantees of success. The transition from age-group cricket to senior franchise competition brings different challenges, including consistency, expectations and adapting to a more competitive environment.

For now, their achievements offer a glimpse of the talent emerging from India's domestic cricket system. The next question is not how young they were when they entered the auction room, but how far they can go once they step onto the field.