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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been one of the most electrifying young talents, as Time magazine has published a list of a hundred young athletes who are shaping sports in the coming days. In every sport, there are a lot of young talents, but among all of them, there are very few who have been influential since their arrival.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is the only Indian cricketer to be named in the list, how is only 15. The Bihar-born is the youngest player in the list of TIME magazine’s TIME 100 Next. The American publication published the list on Wednesday. The prodigy is the only Indian athlete on the coveted list. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is the youngest person to be listed and is among seven athletes named.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is the youngest ever to play for the Indian cricket team
Along with the Indian batter, the list has names like American football quarterback Arch Manning, NBA star Tyrese Maxey, footballers Naomi Girma and Folarin Balogun, tennis player Alexandra Eala and basketball player Olivia Miles. There is no surprise that the opener has made it into the list.
He was the youngest ever to make his debut for the India National Cricket Team in the T20I format after being registered in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as the youngest player ever. Rajasthan Royals signed him as the youngest cricketer in the franchise league's history at the players' auction.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made his IPL debut in 2025
Sooryavanshi made his IPL debut in 2025, where he showed glimpses of his exceptional hitting skills. He turned monstrous with the bat in the following IPL season, when he won the Orange Cap as the highest run scorer of the season with 776 runs in 16 matches, with a strike rate of 237.31 and a batting average of 48.50.
After displaying such tremendous batting skills, the Indian men's cricket team selectors quickly called him to join the national team camp ahead of Team India's tour of the United Kingdom. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made his Team India debut during the T20I series in England, replacing the prolific top-order batter Sanju Samson.
It is worth mentioning that Sooryavanshi made his debut at the age of 15, breaking the Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar's record. He also holds the record for scoring an international half-century for the senior national cricket team as a young cricketer. He registered a blistering 19-ball fifty (finishing with 81 runs off 49 balls) in Harare, against the Zimbabwe national cricket team. He also recorded a brilliant 11-ball half-century for Sri Lanka A in June 2026, setting a world record for the fastest List A fifty.
Time CEO explains their aim in making the list
Time CEO Jessica Sibley says that this year they tried to push all the boundaries to create the list of emerging stars with a lot of possibilities ahead.
"This year's list-makers are pushing boundaries, creating new possibilities, and advancing their fields and communities around the world," said Time CEO Jessica Sibley.
