Jaipur, April 19 (NationPress) Vaibhav Suryavanshi, at 14 years and 23 days, has made history as the youngest player to debut in the IPL, representing Rajasthan Royals (RR) after Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) won the toss and opted to bat first in Match 36 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Saturday.

The Rajasthan Royals will be captained by Riyan Parag, who led the team in the initial three matches of IPL 2025 while regular captain Sanju Samson recuperates from a finger injury. Samson is sidelined due to an abdominal strain he sustained during a match against Delhi Capitals earlier this week, where he had to retire after scoring 31 runs off 19 balls, contributing to the team's eventual loss in a Super Over.

During the mega auction for IPL 2025 held last year, Suryavanshi became the youngest player to secure an IPL contract when RR signed him for INR 1.1 crore. He previously set records as the youngest participant in the Ranji Trophy and achieved a remarkable 58-ball century for India Under-19 against Australia Under-19 in Chennai.

Suryavanshi also scored 176 runs at an average of 44 as India reached the finals of the 2024 Under-19 Asia Cup. Despite being listed among RR's Impact Substitutes, he is anticipated to join the playing eleven once their batting begins, as Parag noted a change during the toss.

“We were aiming to bowl as it’s a bit warm under the lights; it should be better than last time. We've done some things right but haven’t executed a complete performance yet, and we've been having sincere discussions as a team. We love playing here and know the conditions well; we hope to leverage that,” Parag stated.

LSG captain Rishabh Pant announced that pacer Prince Yadav replaces fellow fast-bowler Akash Deep. Additionally, tearaway pacer Mayank Yadav, who recently completed rehab for a back injury at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, is included in the Impact Substitutes.

“We chose to bat first as the wicket appears dry, allowing us to take advantage. There’s no dew, so it makes sense to bat first. Our focus is on improving in certain areas and progressing in the game,” he remarked.

“It felt great to return to form with a fifty against CSK in Lucknow. I wasn’t worried; I knew it was coming. Sometimes it takes time, and I had the opportunity in the last game,” he added. While LSG sits in fifth place in the points table, RR is currently in eighth.

Playing XIs:

Lucknow Super Giants: Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), David Miller, Abdul Samad, Ravi Bishnoi, Shardul Thakur, Prince Yadav, Digvesh Singh Rathi, and Avesh Khan

Impact Substitutes: Mayank Yadav, Ayush Badoni, Himmat Singh, Shahbaz Ahmed, and Matthew Breetzke

Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubham Dubey, Riyan Parag (capt), Nitish Rana, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Sandeep Sharma, and Tushar Deshpande

Impact Substitutes: Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Yudhvir Singh, Kumar Kartikeya, Akash Madhwal, and Kunal Singh Rathore