Updated October 2026 | All stats are as of the end of IPL 2026 (final played 31 May 2026).
Quick answer: The youngest player in IPL history is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who made his debut for Rajasthan Royals in April 2025 aged 14 years and 23 days. The oldest is Brad Hogg, who was 45 years and 92 days old when he played for Kolkata Knight Riders in 2016.
| Record | Holder | Age | Season and team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Youngest player to appear in the IPL | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | 14 years 23 days | 2025, Rajasthan Royals |
| Oldest player to appear in the IPL | Brad Hogg | 45 years 92 days | 2016, Kolkata Knight Riders |
| Oldest debutant | Pravin Tambe | 41 | 2013, Rajasthan Royals |
| Oldest captain | MS Dhoni | 43 years 322 days in his last match as captain, 25 May 2025 | 2025, Chennai Super Kings |
| Youngest captain | Virat Kohli | 22 years 187 days | 2011, Royal Challengers Bangalore |
What the Youngest Player in IPL Record Measures, and Why It Is Hard
The record is measured as a player’s age, in years and days, on the day of his first match in the league. It is therefore a record about debuts, not about the youngest player to win something, the youngest to sign or the youngest to score a hundred. Each of those is a separate record and each belongs to a different moment.
It is hard for three reasons. A teenager has to be picked by a franchise at an auction or in a trial, and franchises pick to win, not to develop. He then has to get into an XI of eleven, in a league where every spot is contested by international players. And he has to be ready to face the best bowlers in the world on the biggest stage in domestic cricket, with the added pressure of a crowd of tens of thousands.
A second caution applies to every age on this page. A player’s age can be given at his debut, at his last match or at his oldest appearance, and these give different answers for the same person, so each table says which one it uses.
The oldest-player record has the opposite problem. A player in his forties has to stay fit enough to be chosen for a squad of 18 to 25, in a league where a younger player can nearly always cover the same role. That is why the oldest players have mostly been specialists whose skill held up long after their pace or fielding did, such as spin bowlers and wicketkeeper-batters.
The Complete All-Time Leaderboard
Every age in these tables was checked against the player’s date of birth and the date of the match, and we have not padded the tables to a round number. Ages are given on the day of the player’s first match for the youngest list and on the day of the oldest appearance for the oldest list.
Youngest players to appear in the IPL
| Rank | Player | Team | Season | Age at debut |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | Rajasthan Royals | 2025 | 14 years 23 days |
| 2 | Prayas Ray Barman | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 2019 | 16 years 157 days |
| 3 | Mujeeb Ur Rahman | Kings XI Punjab | 2018 | 17 years 11 days |
| 4 | Riyan Parag | Rajasthan Royals | 2019 | 17 years 152 days |
| 5 | Pradeep Sangwan | Delhi Daredevils | 2008 | 17 years 179 days |
| 6 | Sarfaraz Khan | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 2015 | 17 years 182 days |
All six were 17 or younger when they first played in the IPL. Pradeep Sangwan, who made his debut for Delhi Daredevils against Chennai Super Kings in 2008, held the record for almost ten years, and Sarfaraz Khan missed it by three days when he made his debut for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Chennai in 2015.
Oldest players to appear in the IPL
| Rank | Player | Team | Season | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brad Hogg | Kolkata Knight Riders | 2016 | 45 years 92 days |
| 2 | Pravin Tambe | Gujarat Lions | 2016 | 44 years 219 days, in his last match |
| 3 | MS Dhoni | Chennai Super Kings | 2025 | 43 years 322 days, in his last match of the season |
| 4 | Muttiah Muralitharan | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 2014 | 42 years 35 days, in his last match |
| 5 | Imran Tahir | Chennai Super Kings | 2021 | 42 years 29 days, in his last match |
All five were spinners or, in Dhoni’s case, a wicketkeeper-batter. Hogg played his last match for Kolkata against Gujarat Lions on 8 May 2016, and Tambe his last for Gujarat Lions against Royal Challengers Bangalore six days later, on 14 May 2016.
Who Holds the Record Now and How It Was Set
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi: the youngest
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was bought by Rajasthan Royals at the Jeddah mega auction in November 2024 for ₹1.10 crore, aged 13, the youngest player ever sold at an IPL auction. He made his debut in April 2025 against Lucknow Super Giants in Jaipur, aged 14 years and 23 days, and hit the first ball he faced for six. He scored 34 off 20 balls on debut.
Nine days later, on 28 April 2025, he made 101 off 38 balls against Gujarat Titans in Jaipur, with 11 sixes and seven fours, as Rajasthan chased 210 and won by eight wickets. The hundred was reached in 35 balls. That is the second-fastest hundred in IPL history, behind Chris Gayle’s 30 balls in 2013, and the fastest by an Indian. He was only just over a month past his 14th birthday, and he became the youngest player to score a hundred in men’s Twenty20 cricket. Our page on the fastest century in IPL history has the full list.
The 2026 season turned the record from a curiosity into a career. Aged 15, he scored 776 runs at a strike rate of 237.31, won the Orange Cap and hit 72 sixes, a season record. On 25 April 2026 he made 103 off 37 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Jaipur, a hundred that took 36 balls. He also won the most valuable player award. Our IPL 2026 season page has the full story.
Brad Hogg: the oldest
Brad Hogg, the Australian left-arm wrist spinner, holds the oldest-player record. He was 45 years and 92 days old when he played for Kolkata Knight Riders in 2016. He is a good example of the type of player who lasts: a wrist spinner who relied on control and variations more than on pace or athleticism.
Pravin Tambe: the oldest debutant and the oldest hat-trick taker
Pravin Tambe made his IPL debut for Rajasthan Royals in 2013, aged 41, after years of club cricket, and became the oldest debutant in IPL history. On 5 May 2014, aged 42, he took a hat-trick against Kolkata Knight Riders in Ahmedabad, dismissing Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan and Ryan ten Doeschate, and is the oldest player to take an IPL hat-trick. His last match, for Gujarat Lions in 2016, came at 44 years and 219 days. Kolkata bought him at the auction for the 2020 season, aged 48, for the base price of ₹20 lakh, but he was later ruled ineligible for having played in an overseas T10 league, so he never played for them. Our most hat-tricks in IPL history page lists every hat-trick.
How the Record Has Changed Hands Over the Years
The youngest-player record has changed hands three times since the first season, each time to a different player.
| Year | New record holder | Age at debut | Reduction on the old record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Pradeep Sangwan, Delhi Daredevils | 17 years 179 days | – |
| 2018 | Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Kings XI Punjab | 17 years 11 days | 168 days |
| 2019 | Prayas Ray Barman, Royal Challengers Bangalore | 16 years 157 days | About seven months |
| 2025 | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Rajasthan Royals | 14 years 23 days | 2 years 134 days |
Sangwan’s record from the first season stood for almost ten years. Mujeeb Ur Rahman, the Afghan spinner, made his debut for Kings XI Punjab against Delhi Daredevils in Mohali in 2018. A year later Prayas Ray Barman, a leg-spinner, played for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Sunrisers Hyderabad on 31 March 2019 and lowered the record by about seven months. Riyan Parag then debuted for Rajasthan Royals against Chennai Super Kings in April 2019 at 17 years and 152 days and sits fourth on the list.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s margin is the story. He is two years and 134 days younger than the previous record holder, the largest gap between consecutive holders in this table. Because he is so far ahead, the record is unlikely to fall soon. To break it, a player would have to play his first match at an age below 14 years and 23 days.
Season-by-Season Best
The table below follows the seasons in which an age record was set, extended or put on show. It is not a list of every young or old player, only of the moments for which the ages are agreed.
| Season | Moment | Player | Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Oldest debutant | Pravin Tambe, Rajasthan Royals | 41 |
| 2014 | Oldest hat-trick taker | Pravin Tambe, Rajasthan Royals | 42 |
| 2016 | Oldest player in IPL history | Brad Hogg, Kolkata Knight Riders | 45 years 92 days |
| 2018 | Youngest player in IPL history, at the time | Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Kings XI Punjab | 17 years 11 days |
| 2019 | Youngest player in IPL history, at the time | Prayas Ray Barman, Royal Challengers Bangalore | 16 years 157 days |
| 2021 | Last match of a spin veteran | Imran Tahir, Chennai Super Kings | 42 years 29 days |
| 2025 | Youngest player in IPL history; Dhoni captains at 43 | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Rajasthan Royals | 14 years 23 days |
| 2026 | Youngest Orange Cap winner | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Rajasthan Royals | 15 |
In 2025 both ends of the age scale were on display at once, with a 14-year-old making a hundred and a 43-year-old leading Chennai Super Kings. In 2026 the young end of the scale was dominant, with the youngest Orange Cap winner in history.
Active Players Closest to Breaking It
The youngest record
No active player can break the youngest-player record by getting older, so the only way is a new debut at a younger age. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s 14 years and 23 days is already so far below the earlier record that any challenger would need to play his first match younger than 14 years and 23 days. This is possible in principle, but we would not expect it soon.
The oldest record
The oldest-player record is the one that could fall. MS Dhoni was 43 throughout the 2025 season. Our captaincy records page notes that he was 43 years and 278 days old when he led Chennai Super Kings on 11 April 2025, and that he extended the oldest-captain record in each of his remaining matches that season. Born in July 1981, he turned 45 in July 2026. Hogg’s mark of 45 years and 92 days passes in October 2026, so if Dhoni were to play in the 2027 season, he would be older than Hogg was in every match he played. Whether he does so is entirely his own decision, and nothing here assumes it.
The youngest and oldest captains
The same page records the extremes in captaincy. Virat Kohli is the youngest captain in IPL history at 22 years and 187 days, when he led Royal Challengers Bangalore against Rajasthan Royals in 2011. Steve Smith, who led Pune Warriors India in 2012, is the only other captain to have done it at 22. Dhoni is the oldest, and before him the record belonged to Shane Warne, who captained Rajasthan Royals in his final season, 2011.
Related Records Worth Knowing
- Youngest Orange Cap winner: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in 2026, with 776 runs. See the Orange Cap winners list.
- Most sixes in a season: Sooryavanshi’s 72 in 2026. See the most sixes page.
- Longevity: staying in the league for years is a different record. See the most matches played page.
- Oldest and youngest captains: covered in full in our captaincy records hub.
- Most valuable player: Sooryavanshi won the 2026 award, at 15 the youngest winner. See the most valuable player award page.
For every other all-time list, our IPL records hub is the place to start.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who holds the record for youngest player in the IPL?
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi holds it. He made his debut for Rajasthan Royals in April 2025 against Lucknow Super Giants, aged 14 years and 23 days.
When was this record set?
It was set in April 2025 in Jaipur, in Rajasthan Royals’ match against Lucknow Super Giants. The earlier record holder was Prayas Ray Barman, who debuted for Royal Challengers Bangalore in March 2019 aged 16 years and 157 days.
Has this record ever been broken twice by the same player?
No. Each holder has been a different player: Pradeep Sangwan in 2008, Mujeeb Ur Rahman in 2018, Prayas Ray Barman in 2019 and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in 2025. A debut can only lower the record once, so a single player can never break it twice.
Who is the oldest player in IPL history?
Brad Hogg, who was 45 years and 92 days old when he played for Kolkata Knight Riders in 2016.
Who is the oldest debutant in IPL history?
Pravin Tambe, who made his debut for Rajasthan Royals in 2013 at the age of 41.
How old was MS Dhoni in the 2025 IPL season?
Dhoni was 43 throughout the 2025 season. He was 43 years and 278 days old when he led Chennai Super Kings on 11 April 2025, and 43 years and 322 days old in his last match of the season, on 25 May 2025, the third-oldest age at which anyone has played in the IPL.