Fifteen-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has become the youngest person named on TIME100 Next 2026, a list recognising rising stars across various fields. The Indian cricketer is one of only seven athletes featured, joining names such as NFL quarterback Arch Manning and NBA player Tyrese Maxey.
Sooryavanshi first drew attention in 2024 when Rajasthan Royals bought him at the IPL auction, making him the youngest player ever signed in the tournament’s history at just 13 years old. The following year, he made his IPL debut and quickly broke records by scoring a 35-ball century against Gujarat Titans, the fastest century ever by a male player in T20 cricket. He reached his half-century in just 17 balls during that innings.
His record-breaking continued in domestic cricket. In the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy, Sooryavanshi scored 190 off 84 balls for Bihar against Arunachal Pradesh. At 14 years and 272 days, he became the youngest player to score a century in men’s List A cricket, surpassing Zahoor Elahi’s previous record. He also set a new benchmark for the fastest 150 in List A cricket, reaching the milestone in only 59 balls. Earlier, in June 2026, Sooryavanshi recorded the fastest fifty in men's List A cricket, hitting the mark in 11 balls while playing for India A in a tri-series final against Sri Lanka A. He ended that match with 94 runs from 29 balls.
In T20 cricket, Sooryavanshi reached 100 sixes faster than any other player, achieving this feat in just 514 balls and 29 innings. During IPL 2026, he scored 776 runs and slammed 72 sixes. He also became the quickest player to reach 1,000 IPL runs, doing so in 440 balls. His overall 1,000 runs in T20 cricket came in 473 balls, another record.
Sooryavanshi made his international debut on India’s 2026 tour of the UK. After a rocky start, he found form on the subsequent tour of Zimbabwe. There, he smashed an 18-ball half-century, becoming the youngest male player to score a fifty in international cricket. His performances helped India secure a 3-0 win in the T20I series, and he was named Player of the Series, having scored 151 runs at a strike rate of 196.10. At 15 years and 121 days, Sooryavanshi is the youngest male cricketer to receive a Player-of-the-Series award in international cricket.
TIME100 Next 2026 recognises Sooryavanshi as a rising figure with the potential to shape cricket’s future. The list also includes footballers Naomi Girma and Folarin Balogun, tennis player Alexandra Eala, and basketball player Olivia Miles.
According to Yahoo Sports.
