Fifteen-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, poised to become the youngest cricketer to represent India, will be restricted from sharing the dressing room with his senior teammates during upcoming Twenty20 matches in Ireland and England due to safeguarding regulations.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) and UK safeguarding laws, implemented by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket Ireland, prohibit players under the age of 16 from accessing adult dressing rooms. As a result, Sooryavanshi will use a separate changing area during the two-match T20 series against Ireland beginning Friday, as well as throughout the five-match T20 series scheduled in England next month.

A Cricket Ireland spokesperson confirmed that the Indian team has been allocated three separate rooms within the pavilion in adherence to safeguarding rules. They noted that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will oversee arrangements to ensure compliance with UK legislation.

Sooryavanshi is currently the highest scorer in the Indian Premier League this season and recently set a record by scoring the fastest List A fifty in just 11 balls while representing India A. Despite these achievements, his birthday in March 2027 means he remains ineligible to use adult facilities under the current regulations.

The situation echoes similar age-related restrictions in other sports; for example, Arsenal footballer Ethan Nwaneri was previously barred from accessing the senior team’s dressing room due to Premier League rules preventing players under 18 from sharing changing rooms with senior professionals.

The safeguarding protocols are designed to protect younger athletes, ensuring their welfare while enabling them to participate at high levels. Although Sooryavanshi’s exclusion from the main team dressing room may present logistical challenges, the measures reflect broader efforts across sports governing bodies to balance protection and inclusion.