Rajasthan Royals can provide a good environment for Vaibhav Suryavanshi to grow: Rahul Dravid

The 13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi created history as he became the youngest cricketer to sign for an IPL franchise when Rajasthan Royals (RR) roped him in for INR 1.10 crore on the second day of the mega auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Monday, November 25. Suryavanshi was among the 182 players sold in the two-day event for a staggering sum of INR 639.15 crore.

Rajasthan won a bidding war with Delhi Capitals to acquire the services of Suryavanshi. After the event, RR head coach Rahul Dravid said that the franchise could provide the left-handed batter the ideal environment to hone his skills.

"I think he's (Suryavanshi) got some really good skills, so we thought it might be a good environment for him to grow in. Vaibhav just came to our trials and we were really happy with what he saw," said Dravid in an IPL video.

Suryavanshi recently became the youngest batter to score an international century, smashing a 62-ball 104 in a Youth Test for India U-19 versus Australia U-19 at Chepauk. He also debuted in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy last week, scoring 13 off six balls for Bihar. Suryavanshi made his Ranji Trophy debut at the age of 12 years and 284 days.

A big target for us in this auction really was bowlers: Rahul Dravid

After releasing some world-class bowlers like Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Ravichandran Ashwin among others last month, the Royals needed to rebuild their bowling department. Dravid said that he was happy with the bowlers they managed to pick up at the auction, with stars like Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Wanindu Hasaranga and many others joining the fray.

"A big target for us in this auction really was bowlers. We came into this auction having retained a lot of our core Indian batsmen. We wanted a strong bowling attack, and I think we achieved that. With players like Jofra and the unique skills he brings, backed by left-arm options like Farooqi and Maphaka, we've got the versatility we were looking for," Dravid explained.

Also Check: RR Team 2025 Player List: Complete Rajasthan Royals (RR) Squad and Players List for IPL 2025

"There are nine other teams, all well-prepared and planned. You have to think on your feet and have plans A, B, C, and D. It was challenging but incredibly rewarding," the former India head coach said while explaining the challenges of assembling a squad at the auction.