Vaibhav Sooryavanshi turns 15, officially eligible to play for India:RR prodigy scored 35-ball ton; awarded POTM in U19 World Cup final

Cricketing prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has turned 15 today, celebrating his birthday just one day ahead of IPL 2026. He has been buzzing topic in the cricket community since his debut for Rajasthan Royals in 2025, in which he slammed a six right on the first ball. Then nine days later, on April 28, he took the IPL by storm, slamming world-class Gujarat Titans bowlers for a 35-ball ton. Since that statement knock, fans have consistently wondered when he will break into India’s senior men’s team. Good for them, he is now eligible to feature in senior international cricket, as per ICC’s player eligibility regulations (Article 4). Is Sooryavanshi eligible to play for India men’s senior team? As per International Cricket Council Player Eligibility Regulations Article 4, Eligibility based on AGE 4.1 states, “ARTICLE 4 ELIGIBILITY based on AGE, “A Player will only be eligible to represent a National Cricket Federation in an International Match (including ICC Events and U19 Events) if he/she is aged 15 or over on the relevant squad submission date (in the case of ICC Events including U19 Events) or on the date of the first match of the series/tournament to the played (in the case of all other International Matches). ” Now that he has turned 15, he could be in contention for a senior India debut after the conclusion of IPL 2026. With Team India currently undergoing a transition phase in Test cricket, selectors may keep a close eye on him, especially after his performances against England U19 in England. However, the question lingers: If Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was not 15 yet, how did he get to play in the U19 World Cup, which is an ICC event? Sooryavanshi got to play in U19 World Cup due to ‘Exceptional Circumstances’ The answer to the doubt about how Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who was still 14 years old at the time of the U19 World Cup, got to play in an ICC event lies with an additional note under 4.1 clause. It states that if the player is approved by the ‘Exceptional Circumstances Committee’ under Article 5, they can play even if they’re below 15 years of age. Here’s a more descriptive look at how Sooryavanshi became eligible to play the U19 World Cup: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s rise in the cricketing world Vaibhav Sooryavanshi grabbed global attention with his spectacular performance in the debut IPL season in 2025. He first got a record-breaking bid of ₹1.1 crore from Rajasthan Royals as a youngster and emerged as one of India’s brightest emerging talents with a 35-ball century in the second game. His rise, however, began earlier, three years ago, when, as a 12-year-old, he was already dominating bowlers much older than him. Despite his form, he was unable to make his senior debut due to age restrictions. But following his impressive IPL debut, Sooryavanshi entered the India U19 setup, where he continued to amaze the selectors with his performances. Considering Vaibhav’s heroics in the U19 World Cup 2026, along with impressive performances in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 and the Ranji Trophy 2025, and now with age on his side, he could soon be making headlines as a member of India’s senior men’s team.