India U19 talent Vihaan Malhotra is one upcoming star to keep an eye out for. He recently also gave a testament to his sheer batting skills by slamming a quickfire 96 for the India U19 A side against India U19 B in the ongoing Triangular series, which also features Afghanistan U19.
The 18-year-old hit an 84-ball 96, courtesy of 11 boundaries and three maximums, striking at a rate of 114.29. His latest heroics come in a series of stellar displays this year where he has impressed for India U19 on the recent overseas tours of England and Australia.
Vihaan Malhotra has shown maturity beyond his years during both series. In three Youth ODIs against Australia, Malhotra scored 119 runs at 39.66 and a strike rate of 87.50, often batting under pressure and helping his team out of a sticky spot.
Earlier in July, he was India’s best performer during the England tour, amassing the second most runs, 243 runs in five YODIs at 48.60, including a hundred. In red-ball cricket, he was equally impressive in YTests, piling up 277 runs in two games at an average of 69.25, with one century and two fifties.
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Given his tremendous promise and form, Vihaan has the chance to secure himself a lucrative IPL contract. Given the recent trend, IPL franchises have not shied away from splurging on youngsters and giving them a platform if they have the right talent. Names like Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Priyansh Arya, amongst others have been a revelation in their maiden IPL season and Vihaan Malhotra too can follow suit.
Inspired by Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli, the Patiala-born batter stands out for his solid technique and adaptability. With the scouts watching closely for the IPL 2026 auction, his calm temperament, ability to soak the pressure, teams looking for a long-term batting prospect will definitely have this talented U19 star in their radar when the auction happens on December 16.
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