Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the 15-year-old Rajasthan Royals’ opening batter, continues to capture the imagination of fans and pundits alike, and the sky’s the limit for the youngster. The left-handed batter is on a run-scoring spree in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season with 404 runs to his name in 10 matches, and one continues to wonder whether the time has come to bring him into the India squad for the T20I series against Ireland and England later this year. Sooryavanshi even earned praise from Pat Cummins, and the Sunrisers Hyderabad captain called him his “new favourite player.”
Hence, it was no surprise to see the youngster’s name pop up at an event where Kapil Dev was the main attraction. The 1983 World Cup winner was asked to comment on the opening batter and on how the T20 game continues to evolve with each passing day.
However, the legendary all-rounder ducked the bouncer, saying he has no authority to comment on the same as he doesn’t follow the game day in and day out, and watches the contests on television. He said that Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri would be better equipped to comment on the same.
“I don’t know because I haven’t seen that. I am like you people. Whatever you put on TV, I see, and I try to make sense out of that. I watch cricket at home on TV, and then giving judgment is not correct,” Kapil Dev told reporters on Sunday.
“People who talk and see everybody, they are better. Like Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri, or Harsha Bhogle, they can make more sense than I can,” he added.
Sooryavanshi lighting up IPL 2026
Before the IPL 2026 season began, one expected Sooryavanshi to experience second-season blues, but the reality has been completely different. The young batter has shown no fear against experienced campaigners like Jasprit Bumrah, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, hitting them for fun.
Sooryavanshi has already scored one century and two fifties in the IPL 2026 season. His century against the Sunrisers Hyderabad came off just 36 balls, helping him to register the second-fastest ton by an Indian in the tournament.
The young-batter announced himself on the big stage last year after his 35-ball ton against the Gujarat Titans. He then scored runs for fun in U19 cricket and capped it all off with a 175-run knock off 80 balls in the U19 World Cup final against England.
Sooryavanshi’s form has been the major reason behind the Rajasthan Royals’ strong performance in the IPL 2026 season. The Riyan Parag-led side is currently in the fourth spot in the points table and will next take on the Gujarat Titans on Saturday, May 9.