‘I wish he was in high school’: Pat Cummins’ hilarious take on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi of Rajasthan Royals (ANI Photo) Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s exceptional IPL 2026 season has earned admiration from across the cricketing world, with Australia captain Pat Cummins among those who have impressed, who has experienced first-hand how destructive the teenager can be with the bat.At just 15, the Rajasthan Royals opener has become one of the biggest stars of the tournament. Sooryavanshi finished the season with 776 runs and a staggering knock of over 230, making him one of the most feared batsmen in the competition.His achievements were not built on careful accumulation. Instead, the teenager attacked relentlessly, taking on some of the best bowlers in world cricket and often coming out on top. Jasprit Bumrah, Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Cummins himself were among the elite names who found it difficult to contain the Royals sensation.While his fearless approach grabbed the headlines, Sooryavanshi’s success was also rooted in a clear understanding of his game. Throughout the season, he combined power, timing and confidence to deliver match-winning innings that helped Rajasthan Royals reach the playoffs.One of his most memorable innings came in the Eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Chasing a spot in Qualifier 2, Sooryavanshi stormed the SRH bowling attack with a breathtaking 97 off just 29 deliveries. During that knock, Cummins unleashed three consecutive sixes to help Rajasthan secure a commanding victory.Reflecting on the youngster’s rise, Cummins admitted that bowling to Sooryavanshi has become a difficult challenge because of the power and confidence he brings to the crease.“He’s a talent. He hits the ball a long way, he hits it very hard. The margin for error is very small. He’s a real talent, he’s quite hard to play against,” Cummins said on Fox Cricket.The Australian captain was then asked if he felt unusual facing a player who, given his age, should still be at school, rather than dominating some of the world’s best bowlers on cricket’s biggest franchise stage.Cummins responded with humor before returning to praise the teenager’s extraordinary ability to hit the ball.“Nice, and I wish he was in high school so I didn’t have to pitch to him. It’s just unbelievable. Like, I don’t think I’ve seen batting like that, let alone from a 15-year-old kid. Whether he’s 30 or 15, he’s just a very good hitter,” he added.At the end of IPL 2026, Sooryavanshi became one of the defining stories of the tournament. His record-breaking runs, breathtaking strike rate and ability to dismantle world-class attacks transformed him from a promising youngster to one of the most talked-about cricketers in the game.And if Cummins’ comments are any indication, even some of the world’s leading fast bowlers are already looking for answers against the teenage sensation.