- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 555,208
- Reaction score
- 48
You must be registered for see images attach
Vaibhav Suryavanshi, aged 14, becomes the youngest player to score an IPL century - Reuters/Abhijit Addya
Sport is forever in flux and heroes rise and fall all the time. A new generation of superstars are on their way up across the sporting world and in the wake of the 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s frankly astonishing 35-ball hundred in the Indian Premier League we found ourselves asking: who are the most exciting teenagers in sport?
We put it to our writers. Move over, Millennials, this is who they named.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi
by Will Macpherson
Vaibhav Suryavanshi announced his arrival on the global stage on Monday when he smashed a staggering 35-ball century against an international attack at the IPL, just over a month after his 14th birthday.
Youngest to score a T20 1⃣0⃣0⃣
Fastest TATA IPL hundred by an Indian
Second-fastest hundred in TATA IPL
Vaibhav Suryavanshi, TAKE. A. BOW
Updates ▶ https://t.co/HvqSuGgTlN#TATAIPL | #RRvGT | @rajasthanroyalspic.twitter.com/sn4HjurqR6
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 28, 2025
It was some statement, but it has been clear for years that Suryavanshi is no normal young cricketer. Aged 12, he became the youngest ever player in the Ranji Trophy. India’s first-class competition. At 13, he scored a 62-ball century for India U19s against Australia, then was picked up for around £100,000 in the IPL auction by Rajasthan Royals.
Not only does he have immense skill, but a cherubic smile and heaps of charisma, hitting his first ball in the IPL for six and peeling off his hundred wearing different-coloured shoes. Remember the name.
Lamine Yamal
By Sam Dean
Yamal does not turn 18 until July but he has already made more than 100 senior appearances for club and country, established himself as a key player for Barcelona and won the European Championship with Spain. His achievements at this age are simply extraordinary.
Barcelona are currently top of La Liga and in the final four of the Champions League. If Yamal helps his team to victory on both fronts, he would have a strong claim to be the best footballer in the world, of any age.
Kimi Antonelli
by Tom Cary
He only passed his driving test in January, but the 18-year-old has made a solid start to his F1 career with Mercedes. Replacing the most successful F1 driver of all time in Lewis Hamilton, Antonelli became the third-youngest driver to start a grand prix in Australia, finishing fourth after having started 16th.
The pint-sized Italian then beat Max Verstappen’s record as F1’s youngest race leader by three days when he led the Chinese Grand Prix at 18 years and 224 days, before becoming the first rookie since Hamilton for McLaren in 2007 to take points in their first three grand prix starts when he finished sixth in Japan.
Michelle Agyemang
by Kathryn Batte
Scored a sensational volley on her England debut earlier this month and is making a late case to be included in Sarina Wiegman’s 23-player squad for the Euros. It’s hard for young players to break through in the women’s game but Agyemang, who has spent the season on loan at Brighton from Arsenal, has the potential to follow in the footsteps of Lauren James by bucking the trend.
Her goal for the Lionesses was a just a glimpse of what she is capable of and coaches at Arsenal have long been excited by her potential. She could be England’s wildcard this summer.
Joao Fonseca
by Simon Briggs
Only two players aged 18 or under can claim a top-100 ranking: Mirra Andreeva on the women’s side and Joao Fonseca on the men’s. Of these, Fonseca is the more exciting, simply because of his nationality. He comes from Brazil – a country that has been starved of champions since Gustavo “Guga” Kuerten more than two decades ago – and is followed by a passionate crowd of fans wherever he goes.
Fonseca’s shot production is a marvel: he appears to have no weaknesses, hitches or quirks in his swings, which is rarer than you might think. He’s also a terrific athlete and a charming kid, who seems blissfully unaffected by the hero-worship he is already attracting. If he doesn’t win multiple majors, it will be a surprise.
Cat Ferguson
by Tom Cary
Yorkshire may have another cycling gem on its hands. After Lizzie Deignan and Tom Pidcock’s exploits in recent years, 18 year-old Cat Ferguson, from Skipton, is the latest off the production line. Rose to global attention last September at the UCI Road World Championships in Zurich, claiming two junior titles in the space of 48 hours (individual time trial, followed by the road race win).
The former slalom ski racer has now signed for Movistar, finishing on the podium in her debut race at Trofeo Binda in March, before a top-20 finish at the Milano-Sanremo Women.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Continue reading...
