Cricket
Youngest Cricketer in IPL
Prayas Ray Barman the leg spinner from Bengal at 16 years and 152 days is the IPL's youngest debutant.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy has a Sanskrit inscription which reads 'Yatra Pratibha Avsara Prapnotihi'. This translates to "where talent meets opportunity." The IPL is a platform for young and old to showcase their talent to the biggest cricket audience in the world. The league bridges the gap between upcoming talent and well-known athletes from all over the world as it provides exposure to talented cricketers to showcase their skills with and against the top players in the world.
Let’s have a look at the youngest talent who got an early opportunity to present themselves in front of the world with an IPL debut.
Youngest Cricket Players
In IPL
| Name | Team | Age | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prayas Ray Barman | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 16y 152d | 2019 |
| Mujeeb Ur Rahman | Kings XI Punjab | 17y 11d | 2018 |
| Riyan Parag | Rajasthan Royals | 17y 152d | 2019 |
| Sarfaraz Khan | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 17y 177d | 2015 |
| Pradeep Sangwan | Delhi Daredevils | 17y 179d | 2008 |
1. Prayas Ray Barman (16 Years, 152 Days)
The Bengal leg spinner created history on 31 March 2019 by becoming the youngest player to play in the IPL, making his debut for Royal Challengers Bangalore. Barman was Bengal’s most successful bowler in the 2018 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. With a base price of 20 lakh, Punjab Kings and RCB got in a bidding duel with the latter eventually acquiring his services for a whopping INR 1.5 crore.
The youngster however had a forgetful debut where he was smashed for 56 runs without a wicket against Sunrisers Hyderabad. His debut game remains the only IPL match he has played so far.
2. Mujeeb ur Rahman (17 Years,11 Days)
Afghanistan’s mystery spinner was the youngest debutant in IPL having made his debut a season before Barman. Mujeeb still holds the record of the youngest overseas player to make his IPL debut.
He was part of the Afghanistan Under-19 Asia Cup squad and his performances were well rewarded as he made his international debut at the age of 16 and picked up 4 wickets. His variations and accuracy led the Kings XI Punjab to spend INR 4 crore to acquire his services. He picked up 14 wickets in his debut season at an economy of 6.99 and is still an important part of the Afghanistan team.
3. Riyan Parag (17 Years, 152 Days)
The Assam allrounder was part of India’s Under 19 squad in the 2018 Under 19 World Cup. Known as a lower-order hard-hitting batter, Riyan was acquired by Rajasthan Royals for his base price of INR 20 lakhs. Playing against the Delhi Capitals, he scored 50 off 49 balls in a team total of 115 and became the youngest to score a half-century in the history of IPL.
He was bought back by the franchise before the 2022 season for INR 3.8 crore. That season, Riyan scored his second IPL fifty but couldn’t replicate the same success in the 2023 season. Batting in the lower order at a good strike rate, Riyan is also a handy off-spinner.
4. Sarfaraz Khan (17 Years, 177 Days)
Making his name as a hard-hitting batter in the Under 19 circuit, Sarfaraz represented the India Under-19 team in the 2014 World Cup and his aggressive batting impressed the Royal Challengers Bangalore enough to sign him for INR 50 lakh in the upcoming auction. Being the youngest to ever play the IPL at that time, Sarfaraz played 13 games in 2015, the most he has played in a single season, scoring 111 runs at a strike rate of 156.33.
He remained at RCB for four seasons and was picked by Punjab Kings in 2019 before he moved to Delhi Capitals. Delhi Capitals released him before the 2024 IPL auction. Known as a giant in the Indian domestic circuit where he maintains a healthy average and strike rate in the longer formats, Sarfaraz has only 1 fifty in the IPL in 50 matches.
5. Pradeep Sangwan (17 Years, 179 Days)
Making his debut in the 20th game of the first-ever IPL season for Delhi Daredevils, Sangwan was just 17 years old when he joined the likes of Glenn McGrath and Mohammad Asif to play against Chennai Super Kings.
He was picked by the Daredevils in the inaugural draft where each franchise had to pick an Under-19 player. The franchise had the opportunity to pick Virat Kohli but the think tank deemed it would be better to get a left-arm pacer. Sangwan displayed his talent for the Delhi domestic team in 2007 and had a brilliant Ranji Trophy finishing as the 7th highest wicket taker with 33 wickets in 13 innings.
He was later picked for the Indian Under-19 team that won the 2008 World Cup under the leadership of another Delhi player, Virat Kohli in Malaysia. Sangwan picked up 8 wickets at an economy of 3.86 and then was part of the Daredevils side for 3 seasons.
He was later picked by Kolkata Knight Riders, Gujarat Lions and last featured for the Gujarat Titans side in the 2022 season which the team eventually won. He was retained for the 2023 season but didn’t get a game. Gujarat Titans released Sangwan ahead of the 2024 IPL auction.
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