Cricket-mad Vaibhav's dream becomes reality

Dreams have come early for cricket-mad Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the shy schoolboy aged 13 who is the youngest player in Indian Premier League history.

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The left-handed batter and spinner comes from India's poorest state, Bihar, and his father is a farmer and part-time journalist, according to Indian media. The teenager's rise has been swift.

He made his domestic debut aged 12 in the Ranji Trophy in January, then was selected for India's under-19 squad against a touring Australia team, where he promptly hit a 58-ball century.

But it was the bidding war at the IPL player auction in Saudi Arabia on Monday that catapulted the youngster into the global headlines.

Rajasthan Royals snapped him up for $130,500, three times higher than his base price.