The 13-year-old Indian cricketer who won a $130,500 IPL deal
A 13-year-old has become the youngest player to get a deal in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the world's richest cricket tournament.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi from the eastern state of Bihar was bought by Rajasthan Royals (RR) for 11m rupees ($130,500; £103,789) in the recently-concluded auctions in Saudi Arabia.
The left-handed batter has represented his state in national championships, such as Ranji and Mushtaq Ali trophies, and India in the Under-19 internationals.
Delhi Capitals and RR bid for him starting from 3m rupees but RR, where he had trained previously, managed to seal the deal.
Indian cricket was traditionally dominated by urban centres such as Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru but IPL has managed to attract a wider pool of cricketers from far-off villages and small towns of India.
Suryavanshi, who is in Dubai to play India Under-19 Asia Cup, made his Ranji debut at the age of 12 in January with Bihar against Mumbai.
In his five Ranji matches, he has scored a highest of 41. But the highlight of his career has been his 58-ball century as an opener in an Under-19 unofficial Test against Australia a few weeks ago – which also made him the youngest to score a century in youth cricket.
He has also made an unbeaten 332 in an Under-19 tournament in Bihar.
RR saw raw potential in the youngster as he impressed their coaching staff during a training session.
"He's an incredible talent and, of course, you got to have the confidence so he can step up to the IPL level," the team's CEO Jake Lush McCrum told ESPN Cricinfo after the auction ended.
He said that Suryavanshi’s development would require work, but "he is a hell of a talent and we're really excited to have him as part of the franchise".
Though Indian laws ban child labour below 14, experts say no such guidelines exist for sports, where players below 14 regularly compete in national and international events.
But to play an international match organised by International Cricket Council (ICC), Suryavanshi may have to wait until he is 15 since that's the minimum age limit set by cricket’s governing body.
The news of Suryavanshi's auction and the size of his contract has brought a lot of joy to his family who had to sell their land to finance his cricketing dreams.
His father Sanjiv Suryavanshi told PTI news agency that "he is not just my son now but is Bihar's son".
Mr Suryavanshi, a farmer from Bihar who had migrated to Mumbai for employment, worked as a bouncer in a nightclub and at a public toilet, he told Indian Express newspaper.
His biggest concern now is to ensure that his son remains grounded. “I will talk to him and make sure that this IPL auction doesn’t go to his head. He still has a long way to go,” he said.
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