Live report - Suryavanshi becomes youngest IPL debutant at 14

For the second game in a row, Rajasthan Royals stumbled in a seemingly straightforward chase, unable to score nine off the final over. In Jaipur on Saturday night, Avesh Khan’s ice-cold death bowling turned a cruise into chaos, as Lucknow Super Giants clinched victory from under RR’s nose.

Up until 17 overs of their defense, RR seemed set to break their three-match losing streak. But with 25 needed off 18, Avesh nailed his execution in a double wicket over that went for just five.

He first dismissed a well-set Yashasvi Jaiswal for 74 when he backed away to scythe a yorker-length delivery behind point. Then, four balls later, Riyan Parag’s attempt to play a cheeky scoop to a full ball that reversed in to strike his toe caught him plumb in front.

RR went into panic mode, and stumbled at the finish line as LSG celebrated a jailbreak that didn’t seem possible.

LSG win!

Avesh Khan defends 9 off the final over. Twice in two games now, RR have failed to see off what seemed a regulation chase.

With 6 needed off 2, David Miller put down a catch coming in from long-on to reprieve Shubham Dubey.

Now with 4 needed, Dubey nails a straight hit. Avesh stops the hit off his boot and parries it to the cover fielder. That's job well done.

RR are shell-shocked, LSG know they've escaped from jail. What a win!

Shardul Thakur is moved from third man, where he fumbled to concede a second run to bring back Hetmyer on strike with RR needing 8 off 5.

He's now stationed at backward square leg, and guess where Hetmyer hits it to? Yep, right there. Straight to Thakur who takes an excellent catch. That was hit hard. A metre on either side and it was four.

RR need 6 off 3.

Hetmyer picks two vital boundaries off Prince Yadav - one of which is a flick off a yorker-length delivery off the final over. There's still life in this game. Didn't this look like a cruise just 20 minutes ago?

Jaiswal first sees his middle stump flattened as he makes room to scythe a yorker-length ball behind point. Parag falls next, as he goes too far across trying to scoop, but is hit flush on the pad in front of middle. RR need 20 off 12.

They lost two in quick succession, but not once has there appeared to be any semblance of pressure on the Rajasthan Royals.

Jaiswal has notched up his fourth half-century in five innings. Parag, who has only had a middling season, has shown traces of his dominating best - like the shovel he played off Prince Yadav to signal the kind of form he's in.

Royals are cruising at the moment, and there's kittle sign of LSG being able to mount a late fightback.

RR 148/2 in 16 overs.

At 14 years and 23 days, Vaibhav Suryavanshi became IPL’s youngest debutant when he was brought in as an Impact Sub in Rajasthan Royals’ chase of 181 in their quest to overturn three successive losses, against Lucknow Super Giants in Jaipur on Saturday.

Suryavanshi, who hails from Samastipur, a city about 100 kilometres north-east from Patna, made his first-class debut in January last year at 13, and was picked for INR 1.1 crore at last November's mega auction.

He attracted attention of IPL scouts when he made a 58-ball century for India in a youth Test against Australia in September last year. Having sat in the reserves for the first half of the season, he was only handed an opportunity because Royals were without their injured captain Sanju Samson.

Opening the batting with Yashasvi Jaiswal, who like Suryavanshi was a rookie picked straight out of the Under-19s five years ago, Suryavanshi began by hitting the first ball he faced for six when he made room and pummelled a Shardul Thakur length ball on the rise over extra cover.

Suryavanshi’s fearlessness and an intent to keep attack from get-go became even more evident when he cleared his front leg and swung his third ball, off Avesh Khan, down the ground for six. Then off his fifth, he earned a reprieve when Prince Yadav put down a skier running back from midwicket.

As LSG brought in Digvesh Rathi in the fourth over after Royals raced to 39 for no loss, Suryavanshi focused on defense, proving there was also some method to the madness. There was a clear plan of looking to hit anything that was bowled short or full, like he showed when he climbed into Rathi when he dropped short in his next over, or when he launched Ravi Bishnoi straight down the ground.

In all, Suryavanshi hit 34 off 18; 26 of those in boundaries before Aiden Markram had him stumped when he got one to rip off the surface to beat him in flight. Suryavanshi’s back foot was in the air as he was overbalanced, when Pant effected a stymying to break an 85-run opening stand in just 8.4 overs to set the tone for Royals’ chase.

Jaiswal raises 50 off just 31.

Suryavanshi has taken pressure off him at the other end by picking the bowlers for boundaries from time to time.

LSG 83/0 in 8 overs.

"My way of approaching a young guy is to sit back and observe what he likes, how he wants to play his cricket and ask him what kind of support he wants from me. And then I work my way around it.

"He looks very confident. He was sitting sixes out of the ground in the academy. So what else can I do? I think it's all about understanding his strength, backing it and being around as an elder brother.”

Raises RR's fifty in just the fourth over with two back-to-back sixes off Markram. The first is a slog-sweep as he gets outside the line and picks him over deep square. The second is Patidar-like - stable base, clean swing down the ground and on the rise to clear long-on.

He cleverly lands skiddy deliveries on a length, denying both Jaiswal and Suryavanshi swinging room.

Suryavanshi has come out swinging. Off his fifth ball, he gets more elevation than distance on a mistimed pull, but Prince Yadav puts down the skier running back. What's worse, Bishnoi who tried to reirieve the ball has parried it past the advertising triangles for a boundary. Have you seen a more eventful first five balls from a youngster in the IPL?

"What the hell was that," exclaims Shane Watson.

Suryavashi backs away to make room and pummels a Shardul Thakur length ball on the rise over extra cover for six off the first ball he faces.

off his third, he clears his front leg and swings cleanly to clobber Avesh Khan down the ground for six.

What a way to announce yourself into the big league.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi (RR) - 14 years, 23 days
Prayas Rai Burman (RCB) - 16 years, 154 days
Mujeeb ur Rahman (PBKS) - 17 years, 11 days
Riyan Parag (RR) - 17 years, 152 days

Vaibhav Suryavanshi is officially the youngest player to feature in the IPL at 14 years and 23 days. A left-handed top-order batter, he impressed with a record-breaking 58-ball century, the fastest by an Indian in youth Tests, against Australia U-19s. Suryavanshi also scored two half-centuries in the U-19 Asia Cup and boasts an unbeaten triple-century in an U-19 tournament in Bihar.

Aiden Markram kicked a stuttering Lucknow Super Giants innings into high gears, helping them recover from 54 for 3 in the eighth over to post 180 after opting to bat against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur.

Twenty-seven of those came in the final over, as Abdul Samad, held back to man the death overs, created the impact he’d been signed for. Samad clobbered Sandeep Sharma for four sixes to finish unbeaten on 30 off 10, giving LSG momentum at the halfway mark.

Markram set it up by top-scoring with 66. He combined superbly with Ayush Badoni, who made a 33-ball half-century. Having not started in the bat-first XI, Badoni was pressed into action as an Impact Sub for Mitchell Marsh when LSG felt they needed some stability, before David Miller and Samad were unleashed.

Badoni’s entry in the ninth over meant LSG couldn’t unveil pace sensation Mayank Yadav for his first game. Yadav, who broke through last year after clocking speeds regularly in excess of 150 clicks, had just returned from an extensive rehab for multiple injuries.

Badoni, though, didn’t disappoint. Having earned a lbw reprieve through an umpire’s call in the 10th over on 7, he picked up pace in the 11th over when he hit Sandeep for back-to-back fours. At the other end, Markram sensationally countered Wanindu Hasaranga first, hitting him for back-to-back sixes, and then taking the attack to Maheesh Theekshana. The pair put on 76 off just 49 balls when Markram holed out to long-off, having hit five fours and three sixes in his 45-ball knock. Hasaranga ended the evening with figures of 4-0-31-2.

His first wicket was arguably his biggest, of Rishabh Pant after he had struggled to manoeuver the ball, eventually put out of his misery when he was caught behind trying to reverse-sweep a googly. Pant made 3 off 9.

LSG’s start was scratchy as Jofra Archer, bowling full-tilt and hitting the deck with venom, had Mitchell Marsh top edge a pull to Shimron Hetmyer in the 3rd over. Nicholas Pooran was reprieved on 6 when Shubham Dubey put down a skier at square leg off Archer, but fell after adding just 5 when he was completely flummoxed by Sandeep’s dipping slower ball.

Sandeep’s finish would be as eventful, except he was at the receiving end of Samad’s sensational final-overs onslaught that lifted LSG’s spirits, giving their bowlers a total to defend.

Samad shows why he was held back. Takes Sandeep to the cleaners as LSG finish with 180. If you're wondering who he is, here's a profile from a few years ago, when I visited his home in Jammu and met people in and around his locality to trace his journey.

Markram and Badoni were just beginning to kick the innings into overdrive, but Hasaranga breaks the 76-run stand when he has Markram holing out to long-off for 66. Hasaranga ends with 2 for 31 off four overs.

Badoni with the two fours. The first, a flat-bat over mid-on as he stays deep inside the crease expecting Sandeep to bowl short. The next is a scoop over the keeper's head as he moves across. BTW, Markram brings up his half-century off 31 balls.

LSG clearly felt they needed death-overs firepower from David Miller ans Abdul Samad, instead of having one of them come in at the fall of Pant's wicket in the 8th over. It meant having to activate Badoni's entry as the Impact Sub for Mitch Marsh. That means Mayank Yadav will have to wait for his first opportunity of the season.

Because he hasn't been able to pick Hasaranga, there's been a lot of premeditation. One such attempt to sweep a length ball has him missing the delivery altogether. RR review, only to find out Badoni has been saved on umpire's call as the ball is projected to graze the outside of off-stump. With pressure mounting, Markram delivers a proper release shot as he pulls a half-tracker over the long-on fence. LSG 76/3 in 10 overs.

He struggled to time the ball tonight. Neither could he try and line up the bowlers to hit big. On 3 off 8, he attempts a desperate release shot, a reverse-sweep no less. But Wanindu Hasaranga has cleverly shortened his length considerably on this googly. The ball lobs off Pant's top-edge and hits Dhruv Jurel on the chest, but he recovers quickly enough to grab the ball on the second attempt. LSG are struggling at 54/3 in 7.4 overs, and have subbed out Mitch Marsh for Ayush Badoni, who takes strike.

Dropped on 6, Pooran manages to add just 5 more to his score. After being driven down the ground first ball, Sandeep Sharma responds with a clever change of pace. Seemed like an attempted split-finger delivery - will need replays to confirm. It dipped on Pooran who was through with the stroke while completely being off balance, as the ball struck him plumb in front. Pooran asks for a referral but it's a wasted review. LSG 46/2 in 5.2 overs.

Jofra Archer is furious, but doesn't know how to react. He quickly looks away and walks back to his mark. Nicholas Pooran has just been reprieved on 6. Shubham Dubey at square leg had all the time in the world to settle under the skier, but sees the ball burst through his hands. Like Marsh, Pooran tries to fetch this short ball from outside off, and ends up hitting it a mile high. Could be a very costly miss. LSG 42/1 in 5 overs.

It's the short ball that has done the trick for Archer, who looks a far different bowler to the version who turned up at the start of the season. Perhaps it's the confidence of all the overs he's bowled, or maybe just the wickets. He's running in harder, hitting the pitch and really generating a lift even accomplished batters are struggling to gauge. Mitch Marsh thinks it's short enough to fetch a pull from outside off, but the ball skids on a lot quicker and he top-edges the pull as Shimron Hetmyer takes the swirler at the edge of the circle at square leg. LSG 18/1 in 3 overs.

At 14, Vaibhav Suryavanshi could become the youngest to make his IPL debut. He has been listed as one of RR's impact subs who could come in for the injured Sanju Samson as they take on Lucknow Super Giants in Jaipur. Riyan Parag is standing in for Royals, like he did in the first three games of the season when Samson was recovering from a finger injury, and played as an Impact Sub.

For the record, Rishabh Pant called correctly and elected to bat on a surface he felt was “on the drier side”. He also felt dew was unlikely to be a factor.

LSG are looking to bounce back from a defeat to Chennai Super Kings in their previous game. They brought in fast bowler Prince Yadav for Akash Deep in a like-for-like change.

A late entrant into the season due to injury, Akash has conceded at an economy of 12.25 while picking up just three wickets in four games.

There's also the possibility of LSG unleashing Mayank Yadav, the fast bowling sensation who has returned from multiple injuries.

Royals are currently eighth and are looking to bounce back from three successive losses. LSG are fifth with four wins in seven matches, and can jump into the top three with a win tonight.

Playing XIs:

Rajasthan Royals: 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Shubham Dubey, 3 Riyan Parag (capt), 4 Nitish Rana, 5 Dhruv Jurel (wk), 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Jofra Archer, 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Sandeep Sharma, 11 Tushar Deshpande

Impact players: Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Yudhvir Singh, Kumar Kartikeya, Akash Madhwal, Kunal Singh Rathore

Lucknow Super Giants: 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Mitchell Marsh, 3 Nicholas Pooran, 4 Rishabh Pant (wk, capt), 5 David Miller, 6 Abdul Samad, 7 Ravi Bishnoi, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Prince Yadav, 10 Digvesh Rathi, 11 Avesh Khan

Impact players: Mayank Yadav, Ayush Badoni, Himmat Singh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Matthew Breetzke