Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the 15-year-old teen sensation, has set the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 stage on fire with his blitz for the Rajasthan Royals. The chorus continues to grow for his inclusion in the senior men's India team for the upcoming T20I series against Ireland and England. The left-handed batter recently went one step closer to an India call-up after he earned a call-up into the India A side for the 50-over series in Sri Lanka.
The Rajasthan Royals' opening batter has already scored more than 500 runs (583) in the 19th edition of the T20 tournament, and would hope to take his team into Qualifier 2 when his side takes on the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator on Wednesday, May 28, in Mullanpur.
As the euphoria around Sooryavanshi continues to grow, Arun Dhumal, the IPL chairman, nudged the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Royals to handhold the teen prodigy so his temperament stays intact.
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“I feel the BCCI and the franchise would need to handhold him in terms of showing him the right way so that his temperament stays intact. Because sport is not only about physical skill, it is also about mental toughness,” Dhumal told The Times of India.
{{/usCountry}}“I feel the BCCI and the franchise would need to handhold him in terms of showing him the right way so that his temperament stays intact. Because sport is not only about physical skill, it is also about mental toughness,” Dhumal told The Times of India.
{{/usCountry}}"And definitely, we will do our bit to make sure that the kind of skill set he has allows him to perform for India for many, many years to come," he added.
‘Ups and downs’
Just like every other player, Dhumal is sure that Sooryavanshi will also go through his share of ups and downs, and it is then that the BCCI's responsibility increases to ensure that the youngster stays on the right path and doesn't lose focus.
“Like any great player, he will also go through ups and downs. That is the uniqueness of sport. He will fail. He will go down. But this is what sport trains you for. You get up and give a better performance in the next game. That is very integral to preparing you for life. Life will never be a one-way street where you only rise,” said Dhumal.
"I am sure the boy, given his performances throughout this season and as part of the U-19 team, would have seen many failures. But in the next game, he would have tried to perform even better and help his team win," added the veteran administrator.
In the IPL 2026 season, Sooryavanshi already has a century to his name, and coincidentally, it came against the Sunrisers in the group stage. He has maintained a strike rate of 232.27 and has hit more sixes (53) than fours (50).
"Vaibhav embodies IPL's tagline, which is, 'where talent meets opportunity.' That boy is something else, isn't he?" said Dhumal.
“Talent had always been there, but how do they get the opportunity? That opportunity, that platform, has been granted by the IPL,” he added.