Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, 15, named to TIME100 Next list
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, 15, has been named to TIME magazine’s 2026 TIME100 Next list of global rising stars, the selection published on October 1, 2026. He is the only Indian athlete on the list and, at 15, its youngest honouree.
TIME100 Next recognises 100 emerging figures across fields and Sooryavanshi appears in the publication’s 'Phenom' category, with TIME describing him as “one of global sport’s most electrifying figures”. The Bihar-born left-hander first entered the headlines after making his senior debut for Bihar in the Ranji Trophy at 12 in 2024, a milestone noted in profiles accompanying the list.
Ahead of the 2025 Indian Premier League season Sooryavanshi was signed by the Rajasthan Royals for Rs 1 crore, becoming the youngest player ever bought at an IPL auction. In his debut IPL campaign he scored 252 runs in seven innings.
Sooryavanshi’s most remarkable innings in that initial season was a 35-ball century against the Gujarat Titans, which made him the youngest centurion in IPL history. He then elevated his numbers in his second IPL season, scoring 776 runs in 16 matches for Rajasthan Royals, including a century and five fifties, and finishing as the team's leading run-scorer.
His 72 sixes in that second campaign also surpassed Chris Gayle's previous record for the most sixes in a single IPL season. Those figures contributed to his rapid rise into international consideration.
Sooryavanshi made his senior India debut against England in Manchester in July, becoming the youngest male player to represent the country and surpassing Sachin Tendulkar's long-standing record. He has since played six T20Is, scoring 193 runs with a best of 81 against Zimbabwe.
In June he produced the fastest List A half-century in men's cricket, reaching fifty in 11 balls for India A against Sri Lanka A in Colombo. TIME also highlighted his role in India's Under-19 World Cup triumph earlier this year, where he was named Player of the Tournament.
“For whatever duration I am on the ground, as long as I dominate and play, I can snatch the match from opponents’ hands,” Sooryavanshi was quoted as saying by TIME. He is one of only seven athletes named on the TIME100 Next list; the other sports figures include Arch Manning, Tyrese Maxey, Naomi Girma, Folarin Balogun, Alexandra Eala and Olivia Miles.
He is currently part of India’s cricket team at the Asian Games in Japan.
