Insights from RR Coach Rahul Dravid on Recruiting 13-Year-Old Vaibhav Suryavanshi for ₹1.1 Crore: 'He Impressed at Our Trials...'

According to Dravid, a talented eighth-standard student from Samastipur in Bihar attended the trials held by the Royals, and the franchise made a decision to pursue him in the auction. The former India head coach also expressed his belief that RR would offer Suryavanshi a favorable and nurturing environment.

"I think he's (Suryavanshi) got some really good skills, so we thought it might be a good environment for him to grow in. Vaibhav just came to our trials and we were really happy with what he saw," said Dravid in an IPL video.

The 13-year-old grabbed the attention with a century in a Youth Test for India Under-19 versus Australia U-19 in Chennai, making 104 in just 62 deliveries.

He also made his T20 debut for Bihar in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy versus Rajasthan on Saturday, managing a 6-ball 13.

Hailing from Samastipur, Raghuvanshi debuted at the age of 12 years and 284 days versus Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy last season.

Dravid, who returned as RR head coach after finishing his successful stint with the Indian team this year, talked about other signings in the auction where they primarily targeted bowlers.

Among the latest additions to their pace department are Akash Madhwal, Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Ashok Sharma and Kwena Maphaka.

In the spin department, they have picked up Kumar Kartikeya Singh and Maheesh Theekshana, while Wanindu Hasaranga and Yudhvir Charak have come in as all-rounders.

"We came into this auction having retained a lot of our core Indian batsmen. A big target for us in this auction really was bowlers, showing that we did a really strong bowling attack. I think we achieved that," Dravid explained.

He further dissected the credentials of the players who Rajasthan signed for next season.

"We got some really good bowlers, a couple of really good spinners, backed it up with a really good Indian spinner in Karthikeya. So, having someone like Jofra and his skills and unique skills, backed that up with a couple of left-handers.

“We like the change in angle, like the swing that both Faruqui and Mafaka bring for us. We really enjoyed the whole process, not only just the pure auction,” he added.