“Mutton nahin khana hai usko” - Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s coach makes stunning revelation after his debut in RR vs LSG IPL 2025 match

Vaibhav Suryavanshi's coach, Manish Ojha, has opened up on how the 14-year-old prodigy gave up his favorite foods to achieve a career in cricket. Ojha said that Suryavanshi has sacrificed pizza and mutton and doesn't eat them anymore.

Hailing from Samastipur, Bihar, Vaibhav became the youngest cricketer to get an IPL contract when Rajasthan Royals acquired him for ₹1.1 crore in the mega auction held in Jeddah during November of last year. Suryavanshi made his debut against Lucknow Super Giants on Saturday (April 19), replacing Sanju Samson, and made an indelible mark, smashing the first ball he faced for a maximum.

Speaking to the Times of India, Ojha opened up on how he gave up on two of his loved foods as a child and focused solely on cricket. He said:

"Mutton nahi khana hai usko, instructions hain. Pizza hata diya hai uske diet chart mein se [Mutton is not allowed for him as per the instructions. Pizza has been removed from his diet chart]. He is just fond of chicken and mutton. He is a kid, so he used to love pizza a lot. But he doesn't eat it anymore. When we used to give him mutton, no matter how much we gave, he would finish all of it."

Ojha further added:

"That's why he looks a bit chubby. He will go a long way. We've seen the way he started the innings, and I can promise you he will score big in the coming matches. He's a fearless batter. He has said time and again that he admires Brian Lara. But he's a mix of Yuvraj Singh and Brian Lara. His aggression is just like Yuvraj's."

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Vaibhav Suryavanshi became the youngest player to play in the IPL, scoring 34 on his debut against Lucknow Super Giants

At 14 years and 23 days, Vaibhav Suryavanshi became the youngest to play an IPL game, eclipsing the record held by Bengal's Prayas Ray Burman (16 years and 157 days), who made his debut for Royal Challengers Bengaluru back in 2019. The southpaw started his innings by hitting two sixes off his first three deliveries he faced.

Suryavanshi faced 20 deliveries, scoring 34 runs, which included two boundaries and three maximums. He was stumped off the bowling of Aiden Markram, which broke the 85-run partnership between him and Yashasvi Jaiswal.