Sooryavanshi has become the toast of the nation for his record-breaking exploits this year.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has become the toast of the nation for his record-breaking exploits this year. The teenage sensation earned the Player-of-the-Tournament award at the start of the year, helping India clinch their record-extending sixth ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup title.
Sooryavanshi carried his stunning form into the IPL 2026. Playing for Rajasthan Royals (RR), he won the Orange Cap and was named the Most Valuable Player for scoring 776 runs in 16 innings at a staggering strike rate of 237.30, including one hundred, five half-centuries and a record 72 sixes in an IPL season.
As a result, the 15-year-old earned his maiden call-up to the senior Indian men's cricket team. While Sooryavanshi failed to make a mark (42 runs in three innings) in his debut T20I series against England, he delivered Player-of-the-Series performance (151 runs in three innings) in the subsequent tour of Zimbabwe.
Recently, India’s T20 World Cup-winning skipper Suryakumar Yadav expressed his admiration for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, stating that he wants to steal the young prodigy’s six-hitting ability.
Speaking on the Humans of Bombay YouTube channel, Surya was asked one player whose skill he would like to steal. In reply, he said: “There is a young boy, you must have heard his name – Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Definitely his six-hitting ability."
Last month, Jos Buttler became the leading run-scorer in men’s T20 cricket history, surpassing Kieron Pollard during a match for the Manchester Super Giants against Welsh Fire in The Hundred.
After achieving the milestone, the England wicketkeeper-batter tipped Sooryavanshi to break his record in the future.
“Yeah it's really cool actually to think you've got the most T20 runs out of everyone. Someone will surpass it one day, and his name's probably Sooryavanshi. But no, it's a proud moment,” Buttler said on Sky Cricket.
The reference to Sooryavanshi shows the impact the Indian teenager has already created. He has taken the global cricket world by storm through his staggering performances, explosive power-hitting, and fearless strokeplay.
During the interaction, Suryakumar named Jasprit Bumrah as the toughest bowler he has encountered. “He is in my team only, Bumrah."
When asked to pick between Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma, Surya replied, “I started playing cricket because of Sachin sir. I was small, I used to watch him on TV, but I have played a lot of cricket with Rohit, under Rohit, so 50-50."