Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the teen sensation, is being talked about left, right and centre following his blitz in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. The Rajasthan Royals' opening batter smashed 776 runs in the 16 matches he played in the 19th edition of the T20 tournament. The left-hander won multiple awards, including the Orange Cap and Most Valuable Player. The chorus is growing for the 15-year-old to be included in India's squad for the upcoming T20I series against Ireland and England, and it remains to be seen whether the selection committee decide to throw him into the deep end.
Such was the performance that Sooryavanshi's performance was even discussed during the Lord's Test between England and New Zealand. The first Test of the three-match series got underway on Thursday, and during one of the rain breaks, a panel comprising Simon Doull, Ian Ward and Nasser Hussain discussed the youngster's exploits.
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Doull said it was phenomenal to watch Sooryavanshi go about his business, adding that it would be interesting to see whether the Indian selectors decide to pick him straightaway.
Here's how the conversation went between Ian Ward, Nasser Hussain and Simon Doull
Ward: It's extraordinary.
{{/usCountry}}Ward: It's extraordinary.
{{/usCountry}}Hussain: (laughs)
Doull: He can't be far away. He can't be far away. It's phenomenal, watching that. Leading run-scorer in the tournament. I don't know how many awards he got in the backend of the competition. But it's phenomenal for a 15-year-old kid. It was great to watch. I don't know who they will replace, but they have to find room for him somewhere.
Kohli applauds Vaibhav
After the IPL 2026 final, which RCB won by five wickets, Virat Kohli was also seen interacting with Sooryavanshi, asking him to keep up with his exploits. The stalwart advised the young one to remain focused and keep up with the good work.
In the IPL 2026 season, one expected Sooryavanshi to suffer from second-season blues, but he proved one and all wrong by smashing more than 700 runs, including one century and three ninety-plus scores. He scored back-to-back 90+ in the Eliminator and Qualifier 2 against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals, respectively.
“I just try to back my game. If I feel that the first ball is in my zone and I can hit it, then I go all-out and try to play that way. This season, I learnt how to play under pressure and adapt my game to the circumstances. You can’t play every game with the same mindset. You have to read the game situation and play according to what the team requires. I learned a lot about that, even in the playoff games,” Sooryavanshi said after winning the Orange Cap.
“I’ll have to focus a lot on that because I want to play for a long time. I need to avoid injuries and things like that, so I’ll have to work on my fitness and focus even more going forward,” he added.
Sooryavanshi will next be seen in action for India A in the upcoming tri-series against Sri Lanka A and Afghanistan A, beginning June 9. The side will be led by Tilak Varma.