Rajasthan Royals (RR) teenage prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi took the cricketing world with his dazzling exploits in the IPL 2026 season, finishing as the leading run-scorer with 776 runs at a staggering strike rate of 237.30, including one hundred and five half-centuries.
Along the way, Sooryavanshi shattered major milestones. At just 15 years and 65 days, he set a new IPL record as the youngest Orange Cap winner.
The southpaw became the fastest player in history to score 1000 IPL runs in terms of balls faced (440 balls) and the first to smash 500 powerplay runs in a single edition. He also broke Chris Gayle's long-standing record for most sixes in an IPL season (59 sixes set in 2012) by hammering 72 sixes across 16 matches.
No wonder, Sooryavanshi swept five major honours at the conclusion of the IPL 2026 on Sunday (May 31), being named the Most Valuable Player, Emerging Player of the Season, Super Striker of the Season, Orange Cap winner, and Super Sixes of the Season.
After receiving the awards, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi opened up on the lessons he learned from this year's IPL.
"I have learned a lot from this season. I have seen a lot on and off the field. I have to work a lot on myself, improve, if I have to play for a long time. I will focus on that," Sooryavanshi said while speaking on JioHotstar.
The youngster also revealed setting a target for himself heading into the IPL 2026. "I had made notes on my phone. I wrote that I wanted to score 700 runs this IPL season. After every match, I noted down my score against each team," he added.
Sooryavanshi expressed his deep admiration for the legendary Sunil Gavaskar, who was standing next to him on the broadcast network.
The Samastipur lad stated that he was raised on backyard tales of Gavaskar's helmetless battles against fearsome fast bowlers.
"Already, my father has told me a lot about you," Sooryavanshi said, turning to a visibly moved Gavaskar. "When I used to practice on a cement wicket near my house, made by my father, he used to stand behind the nets. My height was not as much as it is today when I was very small. So, when I used to play a couple of good shots against bowlers, they bowled bouncers at me.
"I got frustrated a bit when they bowled bouncers, and he used to narrate your stories. He said, ‘There was a legend from our times. He used to pull the deadly bowlers of the West Indies for sixes without wearing a helmet’. That motivated me a lot. He kept on talking about you."
Despite his reputation for T20 destruction, Sooryavanshi made it clear that he wants to play Test cricket for India, sooner rather than later.
"Everyone thinks I try to hit every ball after seeing my game," Sooryavanshi said. "But, this is T20, and my coaches give me a free-hand to go all out. I also feel that if the ball is there to be hit, I go for it."
"I want to play Test cricket," he declared. "My father has always spoken about Test cricket being the real cricket. I have played a lot of red-ball cricket. But, so far, I have not got a lot of opportunities in red-ball cricket. I have played a few Ranji Trophy matches. But, I want to play more red-ball cricket and become better at that."
