Rajasthan Royals teenage prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is set for a tougher IPL 2026, with former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan warning that the spotlight will now come with added scrutiny. After a stunning debut season, the 14-year-old will no longer be an unknown quantity and the pitchers are expected to arrive armed with plans to counter his aggressive game.
Sooryavanshi’s rise was nothing short of extraordinary. Picked by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 1.10 crore, the youngster from Samastipur in Bihar became the youngest debutant in IPL history and quickly turned heads with his fearless approach. His defining moment came against Gujarat Titans where he smashed a sensational 35-ball century – the fastest by an Indian in the tournament – and established himself as one of the breakout stars of IPL 2025.
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Talking about what lies ahead, Pathan emphasized that the real challenge for Sooryavanshi now will be adjustment and consistency.
“This IPL season will be a learning experience for Vaibhav Suryavanshi. Last year he played in the tournament, he played domestic cricket and he plays cricket in all formats everywhere. He played in the Under-19 World Cup, participated in the Ranji Trophy with Bihar and scored runs everywhere. In white-ball cricket and in red-ball cricket, everyone takes him equally. Since he has played so much cricket since his IPL debut last year, other players watch his videos and analyze his weaknesses so they have to find a way to upgrade their game and work on their weaknesses,” he said.
“He has hit centuries with ease in all forms of cricket. When you do it consistently, not only in IPL but also in domestic cricket, under-19 cricket and new matches, your confidence will keep rising. In this IPL season, all the bowlers will be ready with their strategies and Vaibhav will be looking to prove his point. He will prove it by banging that it will be consistent when he runs another hundred this season, PL Vaibhav Suryavanshi upped his game.”
HOW WAS VAIBHAV’S FORM BEFORE IPL 2026?
The numbers back up the hype. Sooryavanshi scored 252 runs in seven innings at an average of 36 and a remarkable strike rate of 206.55 during IPL 2025, showing both consistency and explosiveness.
He carried this form into international youth cricket. In the 2026 U19 World Cup, the youngster hit a record 175 off just 80 balls in the final – the highest individual score in a final – as India lifted the title. He finished the tournament with 439 runs in seven matches and became the team’s top scorer.
With expectations now soaring, IPL 2026 will be less about arrival and more about evolution for Sooryavanshi – a period where he has to prove that he can stay ahead even when the opposition is fully prepared.
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Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
21 March 2026 18:36 IST
