Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been the heartbeat of this IPL season. After offering just a glimpse of his talent in 2025, the 15-year-old has come out all guns blazing in his second season, taking apart world-class bowlers — even Jasprit Bumrah — to score 404 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of 237.65, including a century and two fifties. Despite signalling a bright future, with reports last month suggesting he is all but set for an India debut after IPL 2026, RCB star Jitesh Sharma had called him “unprofessional.”
Jitesh, who captained Sooryavanshi in the India A Asia Cup last year, made the remark during a chat with AB de Villiers on his YouTube channel ahead of IPL 2026, after the South Africa great praised the Rajasthan Royals opener.
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“He’s not professional. I can tell you that. Everyone is trying to get him to be professional, but I don’t think he will ever get professional. He may be on the field, but off the field, he won’t. I’m trying my best. I ask him not to have ice cream at night,” Jitesh had said.
However, the “He’s not professional” comment was taken out of context, went viral on social media, and was later used to criticise Jitesh after Vaibhav smashed 78 off 26 against RCB earlier this season in Guwahati.
Speaking to Mr Nags on RCB’s social media channel, Jitesh was asked about the remark and why he chose to clarify it. He remained firm in his stance, explaining that Vaibhav is “unprofessional” only in the sense that he is still a kid who enjoys simple things like ice cream. He added that while there is a lot of professionalism around him, he wants him to stay true to himself.
“Because he is. See, he is a very close friend of mine, so I can call him anything. AB de Villiers asked me which youngster could become the next big star in Indian cricket, and I quickly named Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. When he asked why, I said it’s because he has the technique and I’ve seen his hard work. I told him, ‘Vaibhav can dominate all three formats.’ Now, when he said he looks professional, I said ‘no.’ He is not a professional. He is a 15-year-old kid. He loves ice cream. He comes to my home, speaks to my wife, and we watch TV and YouTube videos. He is like my younger brother.
“See, I don’t know what people say, but there is a lot of professionalism around him. But he is just a kid. So when he comes over, he becomes that kid again,” he explained.
Rajasthan will play their next match against Gujarat Titans on May 9.