Hardik Pandya Labels Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 17-Year-Old, What's His Real Age?

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Hardik Pandya [Source: AP]

Rajasthan Royals crushed Mumbai Indians in a rain-curtailed match 13 of the IPL 2026 season on Tuesday, April 7. Even though Yashasvi Jaiswal bagged the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his breathtaking knock at the top of the order, his opening partner Vaibhav Sooryavanshi proved to be equally devastating for the five-time IPL champions.

Taking on Jasprit Bumrah in just the second over of the match, the IPL wonderkid belted the legendary Indian speedster with two huge sixes in the space of just three deliveries at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati. The youngster ended up whacking 39 runs in the game off just 14 balls with one boundary and five maximums.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s whirlwind effort even earned up him a significant praise from Mumbai Indians captain and senior Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya. However, Pandya fumbled while referring to the youngster’s age, which already remains a disputed topic among fans and observers.

Hardik Pandya mistakenly calls Vaibhav Sooryavanshi a 17-year-old

While speaking during the post-match presentation ceremony, Mumbai Indians captain and comeback man Hardik Pandya praised young Rajasthan Royals opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. However, the legendary Indian all-rounder also mistakenly called Sooryavanshi a 17-year-old.

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Hardik Pandya said “It’s quite fascinating to see a 17 or a 16-year-old boy and playing the way he played. At the same point of time, discussing so much about him in the preparation leading up to the game. So yeah, amazing to see the way he bats, the kind of fearlessness he has, the kind of shots he has. I wish him absolute good luck in the future.”

What is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s real age?

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s age has remained a subject of debate among Indian cricket fans, ever since the youngster broke into India’s cricketing circles a couple of years ago. As per the official BCCI and IPLT20 websites, Sooryavanshi was born on March 27, 2011; i.e., making him a 15-year-old.

Last year, he became the youngest cricketer in IPL history to make his playing debut, doing so for the Rajasthan Royals at the age of 14. Later that year, the blistering left-handed top-order batter shattered numerous batting records for India U19 as well as for Bihar in domestic cricket.

A couple of months ago, the youngster lifted the 2026 ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup in Zimbabwe.

Despite several doubts being raised over the authenticity of Sooryavanshi’s official age and date of birth, his father has maintained that the cricketer is indeed 15 at the moment, and his son has also consistently cleared all of BCCI-mandated bone tests for age verification.

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sooryavanshi blow away Mumbai Indians

Batting first in an 11-overs-a-side game, the Rajasthan Royals mounted 150-3. Yashasvi Jaiswal top-scored in the innings with an enterprising 32-ball 77*. His partner Vaibhav Sooryavanshi himself clattered one four and five sixes in his breathtaking 14-ball 39, which included some lusty hits against legendary international pacemen Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult.

In response, Mumbai Indians managed just 123-9 in 11 overs to fall 27 runs short of their target, thus slipping to number seven on the IPL 2026 points table.

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