Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated cited Bihar teenager Vaibhav Suryavanshi to motivate the athletes at the Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG) during the inauguration ceremony on Sunday. Unable to travel to Patna, Bihar for the inauguration, PM Modi addressed the ceremony virtually.
Suryavanshi has been in limelight after he became the youngest centurion in the Indian Premier League (IPL) recently when he smashed a 35-ball hundred against Gujarat Titans at 14 years and 32 days.
In fact he was also the youngest T20 centurion in the world and also became the fastest Indian to score an IPL hundred, surpassing Yusuf Pathan. Motivating the young athletes from all over the country, PM Modi made sure he mentioned Suryavanshi name.
“We all have seen the outstanding performance of the son of Bihar, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, in IPL. Vaiabhav has created such a big record at this young age. Behind his game, there is his labour for sure, but playing matches at different levels has also helped him,” he said during his inaugural address.
“It means ‘jo jitna khelega, wo utna khilega (The more one plays, the more he will bloom),” he added.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s dream start
Bought for ₹1.1 crore, Rajasthan Royals opener Suryavanshi made his IPL debut replacing injured Sanju Samson. He smashed the first ball for a six on his IPL debut against Lucknow Super Giants. In five matches so far, the southpaw has scored 155 runs.
All about Khelo India Youth Games 2025
The KIYG 2025 will run from May 4 to 15 with some of the sports being held in Delhi too. Most of the sports will be held in Patna, Rajgir, Gaya, Bhagalpur and Begusarai, but three events – shooting, gymnastics and track cycling – will be held in Delhi. Around 5000 participants are expected to compete.
In its seventh edition, the Khelo India Youth Games 2025 comprises 27 competitive sports and one demo sport. E-Sports has been introduced for the first ever time at KIYG.
