India, May 21 -- As the players lined up for the customary shake of hands at the end of the exchanges at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday night, Vaibhav Suryavanshi bowed low, attempting to touch Mahendra Singh Dhoni's feet instead of proffering his hand. It was a sign of immense respect from a 14-year-old to a legend more than three times his age. It also showed that the little man has his heart in the right place.

Suryavanshi, the baby-faced assassin, has been the rage of IPL 2025, a rare bright spot in an otherwise dismal season for Rajasthan Royals, who signed off with just four wins from 14 games. The left-handed Suryavanshi played in seven of those matches, amassing 252 runs at the remarkable strike-rate of 206.55. Thrown in was...