12 matches so far for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL), and what have we learnt?
Let’s look at his numbers first. In those 12 matches, he has scored 486 runs at an average of 40.50 and a strike rate of 234.78. Last night in Rajasthan Royals’ defeat to hosts Delhi Capitals, he enthralled spectators again with a 21-ball 46. With his three sixes on the night, he continues to be the highest six-hitter this season with 43 aerial bombs.
His output so far has been just good. Not out of the ordinary. Yes, he is an extraordinary player in light of the fact that he is only 15 years old. Yes, he is extraordinary, at a stage where many pick up cricket, Sooryavanshi is hitting those massive sixes against the bowlers of international class. Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, all have been punished by him at some point.
Yes, but the IPL is still not international cricket. His output should have been much bigger. When you forget the fact that he is just a 15-year-old, his numbers don’t particularly strike you as out of the ordinary. The reason is that there are quite a few Indian cricketers who bat in that fashion. Abhishek Sharma is there. Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan and Shivam Dube can also bat with that strike rate. Among the uncapped ones, Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh on their day can match him shot for shot. In fact, former India spinner R Ashwin has rated Arya a step ahead.
So, Sooryavanshi so far hasn’t proved that he can pile on the runs. He has proved he is a high-quality power hitter, but the other aspect is more important. Runs should come in spades, and they should come in a winning cause. His strike rate and number of sixes could be lower, but not having big runs is a major downside of his batting.
IPL is the best platform to do it. More often than not, wickets are batting-friendly. Boundaries are much smaller, say, compared to England and Australia. Then every bowling team has a couple of weak links in their bowling line-ups. If he can’t pile on the runs here, where will he?
International cricket is a different ball game!
International cricket is a lot more competitive. There are no weak links. Conditions vary from country to country. Teams will come prepared for him. He is not exactly a technical player.
So, while Sooryavanshi has shown enough promise to deserve a place in the national team, he may not be able to live up to those high expectations in the long run, unless, of course, he improves. RR head coach Kumar Sangakkara has admitted that Sooryavanshi has not been able to continue his innings for longer, more often than not, this season. He is happy with whatever Sooryavanshi is doing at present, but it will be great if the Sri Lankan, a high-quality batsman in his day, drives this point home to the teenager that small innings are not going to help him much in the larger picture.
Having said that, in line with Ravi Shastri’s thoughts, Sooryavanshi, recently included in the India A squad for an ODI tri-series in Sri Lanka in early June, should be part of the team that plays 2 T20Is in Ireland in late June and five T20Is in England in July. India will play 3 ODIs in England too. Why not? He should be part of that team, too, to get some exposure, even if he doesn’t get a match to play.
