Rajasthan Royals opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is gearing up for a defining season of IPL 2026, with the 15-year-old firmly focused on helping the franchise secure the title.
After a breakthrough IPL 2025, Sooryavanshi is gearing up for his first full season with Rajasthan Royals, carrying both form and expectation into the new campaign. Speaking on JioStar’s ‘TATA IPL: Dream On’, the youngster reflected on his journey, influences and the journey that led him to the IPL.
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“I’ve seen Brian Lara and Yuvraj Singh finish the matches by themselves. If they were on, they didn’t have a chance for the opposition to come back into the game and I really liked that about them. I scored a lot of runs in domestic cricket for Bihar, in league matches and probables. Pan then picked me for the Vinoo Mankad Trophy, followed by the BCCI U-19 tournament. In 2023, there was a quadrangular series with two teams from India, along with Bangladesh and England, from where I gradually progressed and made my debut in the Ranji Trophy Since my domestic debut, Rajasthan Royals started asking me, watching me in home matches as well as India U-19 matches and their team has been watching for a long time.
Sooryavanshi blasted 190 off 84 balls in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and followed it up with an unbeaten 108 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. In youth ODIs in 2025, he scored 690 runs at an average of 57.50, with a strike rate of over 160.
On his approach after being selected by Rajasthan Royals, Sooryavanshi emphasized clarity of role and intent.
“When I was selected, my only aim was to start the team well. I wanted to play my game in the power play and if I do well, I wanted to go on and play long without giving away my wicket. I knew that if I played my shots, the script of the game would change because chasing more than 200 runs would not be easy for any team. This season, the team’s goal is for the trophy and the team’s performance is to win automatically.” we will emphasize if we win the trophy and that is the most important thing.”
His early development was shaped under the guidance of his childhood coach Manish Ojha, who recalled his first impressions.
“He came to the academy with his father for the first time in 2018. It was clear from the start that he had potential and a real passion for cricket. He always liked to attack while batting and had beautiful timing. He bowled 400-500 balls every session and wouldn’t stop unless I gave him a break.”
Ojha also spoke about honing Sooryavanshi’s aggressive approach as he progressed through age-group cricket. “In 2022, during the open net sessions, he got a 40-over batting slot, 20 overs from the new-ball bowlers and then from the spinners. I noticed that he prefers to play only big, lifted shots. I told him that when he goes up to U-16 and U-19 cricket for his status, he will have to play four long crickets there because it starts with hundreds of deliveries. a big hit on every ball and ignoring singles or doubles, you increase your chances of getting out, but he would say, ‘Sir, if I can hit a six on that ball, why take a single?’
This attacking instinct stood out during his IPL trials as well. “Vaibhav was given different targets in the Tests and he achieved them every time. For example, in the first over he was given a target to score 18 runs and he achieved it in three balls. Then he was told to play more shots squared off the wicket and asked to play more in the offside and he responded by hitting 4 well. The other big shots were there. in one over which he achieved in five balls.”
With a full season ahead of him, Sooryavanshi remains focused on peaking and contributing to Rajasthan Royals’ quest for the IPL 2026 title.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
March 30, 2026 4:36 PM IST
