England and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) all-rounder Liam Livingstone showered rich praise on 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi after his exploits in the IPL 2026 tournament.
This recognition followed Sooryavanshi's 776 runs at a strike rate of 236.30 in the 2026 Indian Premier League, including five fifties and a century. In 16 games for the Rajasthan Royals, he also blasted 72 sixes.
Among the many honors he garnered for his outstanding batting were the Orange Cap for most runs, the MVP Award, and the Emerging Player award. His 29-ball 97 against Cummins' SRH in the Eliminator was the high point. He hit 12 sixes to help RR advance to Qualifier 2, where they were defeated by the Gujarat Titans.
His performances captivated fans nationwide and were crucial to the Rajasthan Royals' postseason success. His incredible season and long-term prospects continue to dominate cricket discourse months after the tournament ended.
Liam Livingstone, an England batter who was out for the majority of the season with Sunrisers Hyderabad but personally saw the impact Sooryavanshi made against his team, was one of those impressed.
"I’ve never seen anything like it. And I’ve been there; this year was my seventh IPL. And I’ve played with and against some very good players, and I’ve never seen anything like it," Livingstone said on the Stick to Cricket Podcast.
Livingstone was impressed by Sooryavanshi’s ability to adapt to different situations in the tournament. He noted that opposition managed to find ways to trouble Sooryavanshi, but he continued to add new dimensions to his game to counter them.
By the end of the competition, bowlers were running out of strategies to deal with a batter who appeared to have an answer for every line and length, according to Livingstone.
"He's just like the way he hits a ball; he hits a ball so clean, yeah. He never really mis-hits a ball, never really mis-hits a ball the whole time. And wherever the ball was, the first time we got him out with a bouncer, the first ball he hit it straight up. But then the development that he made as a player from the start of that tournament to the end was like... we were bowling bouncers, and he was hitting it over third man, and then you’d bowl this side, he’d hit it there; you bowl full, he'd hit it there; bowl a low full toss, he’d flick it over there. And you’re like, 'Well, hold on a minute, where do we bowl?' "Livingstone added.
