Teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi powered Rajasthan Royals (RR) to a dominant eight-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their IPL 2026 season opener at Barsapara Cricket Stadium on Monday (March 30).

The southpaw smashed 52 runs off 17 balls with 4 fours and 5 sixes, helping RR overhaul the target of 128 in just 12.1 overs. He reached his half-century in just 15 balls, which is the joint third-fastest fifty in IPL history.

After the game, former India cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra highlighted Sooryavanshi's batting technique as "absolutely different" and unlike anything he has seen before.

Chopra specifically noted that the 15-year-old's unique bat swing, which he compared to a "hunter's lash," and his ability to generate remarkable power against fast bowling through incredible wrist work, make him a standout talent.

“I actually want to talk about Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and why he is so different. Normally, a batter lifts the bat in the stance and then simply brings it down - that’s the standard way of playing. But if we look at Yashasvi (Jaiswal) and Vaibhav here, Vaibhav lifts the bat, then it comes slightly down, then it goes back up again. And if you pause it there, I have never seen anyone’s bat move in that direction before,” Chopra told Star Sports.

“It almost looks like he is looking towards the covers, but the back of the bat comes from that angle and then he rotates it before striking. He is absolutely different. I have never seen any batter with this kind of bat swing. And for someone who is actually taking on fast bowling, I think the kind of power he is generating, especially the way he hits on the leg side is remarkable,” he added.

“I have never seen that kind of arc in a bat swing before. It’s not a normal swing at all. He is almost whipping it like a hunter’s lash. The wrist work is incredible and for a 15-year-old kid, this is unbelievable,” he explained.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who turned 15 on 27th March 2026, has rewritten record books with fearless batting display over the last 12 months.

His stunning exploits in the IPL 2025, Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26, ICC U19 World Cup 2026 among other tournaments have earned him rich plaudits.

After his latest heroics against CSK, former England captain Michael Vaughan advocated for Sooryavanshi to be fast-tracked into the senior Indian men’s team for the upcoming white-ball tour of England in July 2026.

“When will he make his Indian debut? And I'm just looking, and I know we're probably getting ahead of ourselves. It's only the first innings of the IPL, but there's a white-ball tour to England in a few months' time. And if I was Indian cricket, I would get him on that tour. Not necessarily, he's going to get into players that are in the team at the moment, but the one thing that he's going to need is he's going to need to be brought into the Indian team and the kind of surroundings of what Indian cricket is. Just bring him in, and if he plays one or two games, fantastic, but get him on a tour. Is he allowed to go on tours as a 15-year-old?” Vaughan said while speaking on Cricbuzz.

“I'd be giving him a little bit of experience with that Indian team. Not necessarily, as I said, jumping straight into the side, but just having him around. He's good enough to play. I do not doubt that,” he remarked.