“Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will be bigger than Tendulkar, Virat combined,” says Dale Steyn

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (Image credit: ICC) New Delhi: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s stunning 776-run season in IPL 2026 caught the attention of not only the Indian selectors, who named him in the squads for Ireland and England T20Is, but also former players. Sachin Tendulkar has repeatedly praised the teenager. Former South Africa seamer Dale Steyn was also impressed by the left-hander’s prolific scoring.Gung-ho Steyn believes Sooryavanshi has what it takes to be even better than Tendulkar and Virat Kohli. “Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is a different sauce, man,” he said when asked if any promising Proteas player could match Sooryavanshi’s level. “He’s better than most international players right now. He’s a boy diva, a treasure for Indian cricket,” he added during an SA20-mediated interaction ahead of Season 5.“You think about guys like Sachin, you think about guys like Virat, and this kid is going to explode. At the end of his career, he’s going to be bigger than both of them combined,” he continued.READ ALSO | At 15, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is not just scoring runs – he is redefining battingStill, with Sooryavanshi potentially set to make his international debut and better Tendulkar’s 37-year-old record, the former seamer suggested he should be handled with caution.“I would caution how you handle him and how you look after him because with great responsibility comes great reward. But there is a great threat that you could lose him at some point if you don’t look after him enough,” said Steyn, who played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Deccan Chargers and Gujarat Lions in the IPL.

You think of people like Sachin, you think of people like Virat, and this kid explodes. It will be bigger than both of them combined

Dale Steyn on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

Many bowlers have tried and failed to get the better of Sooryavanshi over the course of the IPL season. The Rajasthan Royals opener has scored 776 runs from 16 matches at an average of 48.50 at a rate of 237.30. With 72 sixes, he broke Chris Gayle’s record for maximums in an IPL season.So how do you stop him? None better than Steyn – who took 699 wickets across Tests, ODIs and T20Is – to answer that. The 42-year-old admitted that he had not watched enough of Sooryavanshi to come up with a game plan, but found Kagiso Rabada’s strategy to be the most suitable.“I think KG (Rabada) bowled him well if you test him here,” he said, pointing to his brain. “You’ve got to test him at the top. He’s still young. He’s only 14 and if you can throw a bit of a fear factor into the game, cricket is a game with a fear factor. If you go into the game scared, if you’re scared of somebody, just be afraid of bowling or facing him, it can make him do stupid things. It can make your mind do stupid things.”“If it ain’t broke, why fix it?”

Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) players thank their Orange Army fans during the SA20 Season 4 match 29 between Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) and MI Cape Town (MICT) held at St George’s Park. (Sportzpics)

Steyn has repeatedly advocated the growth of fan culture during SA20, where not only the teams but also the fan culture had improved over the previous four seasons.St George’s Park, home of the Eastern Cape Sunrisers, is one of the best-supported grounds, Steyn said. He also spoke highly of Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town, all of whom were trying to surpass the latter.With that in mind, he doesn’t think moving the game to India, for example, as the Big Bash League (BBL) intends to do, will be a wise move.“I’d feel cruel if I robbed the South Africans of one game. The Indians have the IPL. It’s the biggest competition. So for them to go and watch the Big Bash game, I’m sure they’ll go and watch it, but they’re spoiled by the IPL; they’ve had enough of cricket.”

Pretoria Capitals players celebrate during match 28 of the SA20 Season 4 at the Wanderers Cricket Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Sportzpics for SA20)

“Giving them another game while taking it away from the South Africans. When the support was so crucial in South Africa, it would have been shooting itself in the foot.”“Maybe what we should look at in terms of the world, and I don’t know if it’s possible again, but what about the Champions League T20, where you have the best teams from all over the world and you play together in a short tournament. You can play it in India because the TV and the support in India is crazy. That’s a more viable option, I would say, going forward.”“Maybe the Big Bash is suffering a slow death and they’re just trying to rejuvenate the competition. I think the players will enjoy playing in Chennai. (But) I don’t think it’s an option for the SA20. I think it’s doing really well in South Africa and as they say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”