Vaibhav Suryavanshi was talk of the town in the 2025 IPL. At just 13, he made history by securing a spot in the IPL. Subsequently, at 14, he etched his name in the record books again by scoring his first IPL century. The BCCI faced criticism for allowing such young players opportunities. Simultaneously, questions arose about domestic cricket when multiple players secured IPL berths solely through club cricket. The Board has now taken steps to address this issue, consequently putting the IPL future of players like Vaibhav in jeopardy.
This year, Rajasthan Royals acquired Vaibhav Suryavanshi for a sum of 1.1 crore rupees. Though he didn't feature in every IPL match, he caught attention opening in Sanju Samson's absence. Subsequently, he became a regular in the national team. However, his IPL future now hangs in the balance. Will he even be eligible to play in the IPL?
In its Annual General Meeting, the BCCI introduced a new policy. It stipulates that cricketers who play age-group cricket, i.e., Under-16 or Under-19, must participate in at least one first-class cricket match before playing in the IPL or any franchise-based tournament. In other words, players can no longer be directly drafted into the IPL from club cricket. In such cases, the player must play at least one match in domestic cricket.
The rationale behind this decision is to ensure young players devote more time to domestic cricket, preventing them from being lost in the glare of the IPL. The Board also believes this will be beneficial for a player's mental development. Starting with Test cricket is thought to provide a better foundation for players.
Vaibhav won't be affected by the Board's new rule. He has already played five first-class matches for Bihar.
