Vaibhav Sooryavanshi named youngest honouree on 2026 TIME100 Next list

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been included in the 2026 TIME100 Next list, adding an international honour to the Indian cricketer’s rapid rise through the sport. BBC Sport reported on September 30 that the 15-year-old is the youngest person selected this year and one of seven athletes among the 100 figures recognised across a range of fields.

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The annual selection identifies emerging people whom TIME sees as shaping the future in areas including sport, entertainment, business and politics. Its 2026 collection places Sooryavanshi in the Phenoms category. The accompanying profile, written by Charlie Campbell and published on September 30, traces his progress from a village in Bihar to senior international cricket while still in his teens.

According to TIME’s profile, the left-handed batter made his professional debut at 12. Rajasthan Royals then bought him in the 2024 Indian Premier League auction, making him the youngest player ever purchased at that event. BBC Sport reported that he was 13 at the time and made his debut in the competition the following year.

TIME dates his next major milestones to April 2025, shortly after his 14th birthday, when he became the IPL’s youngest player and youngest century-maker. The profile also credits him with helping India win the Under-19 World Cup in 2026 and receiving the tournament’s best-player award. It says he subsequently debuted against England, overtaking Sachin Tendulkar as India’s youngest senior international cricketer.

The other athletes on this year’s list span American football, basketball, football and tennis. BBC Sport named quarterback Arch Manning, NBA player Tyrese Maxey, footballers Naomi Girma and Folarin Balogun, tennis player Alexandra Eala and basketball player Olivia Miles alongside Sooryavanshi. Their inclusion puts the Indian teenager within a wider selection of emerging sporting figures, rather than a cricket-only award.

TIME chief executive Jessica Sibley described the selections as people extending possibilities and contributing to their fields and communities, according to BBC Sport. The magazine’s annual TIME100 Next event is scheduled for October 29 in New York, with British singer-songwriter Raye, another member of the list, set to perform.