‘Future is here’: Mohammad Yousuf compares Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to ‘young, fearless’ Shahid Afridi after IPL carnage

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Shahid Afridi NEW DELHI: The cricketing world is still trying to come to terms with IPL 2026 Eliminator Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s amazing knock and now former Pakistan batsman Mohammad Yousuf has joined the growing list of admirers with a comparison that has instantly caught the eye.Less than 24 hours after the 15-year-old Rajasthan Royals sensation destroyed Sunrisers Hyderabad with a breathtaking 97 off just 29 balls, Yousuf said the teenager reminded him of a young Shahid Afridi.“15-year-old cricketing sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi reminds me of @SAfridiofficial – young, fearless, explosive, full of energy. The future is here!” Yousuf posted on X.Comparisons with Afridi – one of cricket’s most devastating players during his prime – only added to the growing hype surrounding the teenage prodigy, whose fearless batting has become the biggest talking point of IPL 2026.

Sooryavanshi’s brutal attack will leave SRH reeling

Sooryavanshi produced one of the greatest play-off innings in IPL history during Rajasthan Royals’ 47-run win over Hyderabad in the Eliminator at Mullanpur.The teenage opener smashed 12 sixes and five fours at an extraordinary pace of 334.48, tearing even Australian captain Pat Cummins apart with three consecutive sixes in one over.His stunning knock powered Rajasthan Royals to 243/8 before SRH were bowled out for 196.Also read: How the Sooryavanshi storm ended Sunrisers’ title dream after a dramatic revivalThe youngster narrowly missed out on becoming the fastest centurion in IPL history as he fell to 97 while attempting another six. Still, he broke several records during the innings.Sooryavanshi now holds the record for most runs by an uncapped batsman in an IPL season with 680 runs, surpassing Yashasvi Jaiswal’s tally of 625 in 2023.He also smashed 65 sixes this season, breaking Chris Gayle’s long-standing IPL record of most sixes in a single edition.Cricket world in awe of teenage sensationDespite falling short of his century by just three runs, Sooryavanshi revealed that he never thought about personal milestones during the innings.“I found out after the game,” he said when asked if he narrowly missed out on the fastest IPL hundred. “My focus was to hit a six. I will score a century in the future, but my focus was to get the maximum for the team.”Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag admitted that the team is deliberately avoiding overburdening the youngster with advice.“We are not having any talks, just leave him alone. We are giving him a lot of batting practice and he is doing his thing,” said Parag.England pacer Jofra Archer, who played a key role with the ball in the Eliminator, perfectly summed up the growing fear among bowlers.“The more runs he gives, the more runs we have to defend. He can get 150,” Archer said.Rajasthan Royals will now take on Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2 and the cricketing world is waiting to see if the fearless teenager can deliver another extraordinary performance on the biggest stage.

Do you agree with the comparison of Sooryavanshi to Shahid Afridi?