Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batting coach Dinesh Karthik explained what makes Vaibhav Sooryavanshi special and how RCB’s plans against the 15-year-old didn’t work when they faced Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the recent IPL 2026.
Sooryavanshi had an excellent IPL 2026, with 776 runs to his name with a strike rate of 235 and one century and five fifties, including three scores in the 90s. He broke Chris Gayle’s long-standing record of most sixes in a season (59) and hammered 72 maximums of his own.
Sooryavanshi won the Most Valuable Player award, the Orange Cap for most runs, and the Emerging Player award, among others, as he took his team to the playoffs. His brilliant outing in the IPL led to his maiden India call-up for the T20I series in Ireland and England.
While Sooryavanshi didn’t make his debut in the first T20I between India and Ireland in Belfast on June 26, there are huge expectations and anticipation as to when he will break Sachin Tendulkar’s record for the youngest India debutant.
Dinesh Karthik remembers how the RCB's top pacers, Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, despite having a solid plan, struggled against Sooryavanshi.
"Before our game against RR, we discussed what could be a weakness for this young batter. We felt a perfect yorker or a well-directed bouncer might work. But in Guwahati, nothing worked. Neither Bhuvneshwar nor Hazlewood could get him out, no matter what they tried. Vaibhav is one of the toughest batters to bowl to. This IPL, he was the toughest, in my opinion.
The margin for error was very small. He stands with a wide base and strong legs. Anything on the offside, he just throws his hands at it. In the power play, with only two fielders outside, it is very hard to stop him. Outside the power play, he is smart enough to stick to his strengths. He is not a one-dimensional player. He can take singles and rotate strike, and if you bowl in his zone, he puts you away,” Karthik revealed on Sky Cricket.
Speaking of the above-mentioned match, RCB had posted 201/8 in 20 overs thanks to Rajat Patidar’s 63 and some late-over blitzes by Romario Shepherd (22) and Venkatesh Iyer (29*).
However, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi took the wind out of RCB’s defense, scoring 78 in 26 balls with 8 fours and 7 sixes, as RR won the game easily by 6 wickets.
(PTI inputs)
