16-year-old Prayas Ray Barman is the youngest player to don the Indian Premier League (IPL) cap. The right arm leg spinner debuted on Sunday in the match between his side - the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) - against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). The previous youngest player to debut in the IPL was Afghanistan's off-break bowler Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who was picked up by the King's XI Punjab at the age of 17. Catch Live Score of RCB vs SRH.

Barman was procured by the RCB at a price of Rs 1.5 crore in the auctions held in December last year. The KXIP had aggressively bid for him, offering a price of Rs 1.2 crore. The RCB, however, spotted a greater value in him.

Barman caught the eye of talent scouts with his impressive performances in the U-17 tournaments across the nation. The performance which brought him on the map was his spell against Jammu & Kashmir, while playing for Bengal in the Vijay Hazare Trophy last year.  With his figures of 5-0-20-4, Barman solely turned the game around in favour of Bengal. In the nine List A matches he played, Barman picked up 11 wickets at an average of 23.

Prior to the List A series, Barman had left an impression during the series between Bengal U-15 against Bangladesh U-15.

Barman's date of birth is October 25, 2002. He was primarily raised up in Delhi, where his father works as a general physician. However, after getting selected in the Bengal U-15, he shifted to Kolkata where he resides with his grandparents.

All eyes are on the 16-year-old on how he performs in today's match against the Sunrisers. With two defeats in their two opening matches, the RCB is desperately looking for a win. Let's see if Barman plays a role in allowing Captain Virat Kohli to taste the first victory of this season.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 31, 2019 05:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).