Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been included in the TIME100 Next 2026 list, becoming the only Indian athlete and the only cricketer among seven sports personalities chosen for the annual recognition. At 15 years of age, he is also the youngest person to feature on the 2026 edition of the list, appearing under TIME’s ‘Phenom’ category.
TIME described Sooryavanshi as someone who is “fast becoming one of global sport’s most electrifying figures”. The six other athletes on the list are Arch Manning (American football), Tyrese Maxey (NBA), Naomi Girma (USWNT), Alexandra Eala (tennis), Folarin Balogun (USMNT) and Olivia Miles (WNBA).
What has Sooryavanshi achieved to earn this recognition?
Sooryavanshi’s journey to global recognition began when he stepped out for Bihar in the Ranji Trophy in January 2024, aged just 12 years and 284 days, becoming one of the youngest players to appear in First-Class cricket. Rajasthan Royals then secured his services at the IPL 2025 auction for INR 1 crore when he was 13 years old.
His maiden IPL campaign in 2025 produced 252 runs across seven matches at a strike rate of 206. Within that season, he struck a 38-ball 101, the fastest IPL hundred by an Indian batter, and in doing so became the youngest centurion in men’s T20 cricket.
The 2026 IPL season elevated him further. He finished as the leading run-scorer with 776 runs at a strike rate of 237, claiming the Orange Cap and the Emerging Player of the Year award. Outside franchise cricket, Sooryavanshi scored a stunning 175 off 80 in the 2026 Under-19 World Cup final against England, helping India lift the trophy. In June 2026, during the tri-series final in Sri Lanka, he reached fifty in just 11 balls, the fastest half-century in List A cricket, and finished unbeaten on 94 off 29 balls.
How has Sooryavanshi fared for India at senior level?
Sooryavanshi entered senior international cricket in July 2026 when he was selected for the third T20I against England, becoming the youngest player ever to represent India at that level. He has since featured in six T20Is for the national side.
Across those appearances, he has accumulated 193 runs at a strike rate of 189, with two half-centuries and a top score of 81. It is the combination of his franchise dominance and early international impact through 2025 and 2026 that underpins his place in TIME’s ‘Phenom’ category on the TIME100 Next 2026 list.
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