Trent Boult on bowling to 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi: 'Going to be an exciting challenge'

Mumbai Indians ’ pace spearhead Trent Boult is looking forward to the much-anticipated clash with Rajasthan Royals ’ teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi , calling it an "exciting challenge" rather than a concern.

Suryavanshi, just 14 years old, stunned the cricketing world with a blistering 38-ball 101 against Gujarat Titans — the fastest century ever by a teenager and the second-fastest in IPL history. As MI prepare to face RR at the high-scoring Sawai Mansingh Stadium , Boult acknowledged the hype but maintained perspective.

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"I’ve bowled to some brilliant batsmen around the world — Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers — all the quality that comes in these tournaments," Boult told the media on the eve of the clash. "I’ll be careful not to say I’m worried about a 14-year-old. But it’s going to be an exciting challenge to come up against a guy who’s obviously fearless and running in hot form at the moment."

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The Kiwi pacer praised Suryavanshi’s fearless approach and performance. "The whole world saw that knock. It was quality from such a young kid. That’s the beauty of this tournament — young players grabbing their chance and making the most of it."

With MI on a five-match winning streak after a rough start, Boult credited the team’s resilience and ability to learn from early setbacks. " T20 cricket is like that — a couple of boundaries here or there can change everything. We’ve tried to improve a bit every game, and there’s still room to be five or ten percent better."

MI face RR in a critical encounter that could shape the playoff picture — and all eyes will be on whether the seasoned Boult can outfox the fearless 14-year-old.