Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has remained one of the biggest talking points in cricket even after the IPL season ended, thanks to a campaign that few could have imagined from a 15-year-old. The Rajasthan Royals opener lit up IPL 2026 with 776 runs at a strike rate of more than 230, combining fearless strokeplay with remarkable consistency. What made his performances stand out was the quality of the opposition he dominated. Sooryavanshi showed little regard for reputation, taking on some of the world’s finest bowlers and regularly coming out on top. Jasprit Bumrah, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, bowlers who have troubled the best batters across formats, all found themselves under pressure against the teenager’s relentless attacking game.
By the end of the season, Sooryavanshi had collected several batting honours and rewritten multiple records, establishing himself as the face of a new generation of IPL talent. His performances played a major role in Rajasthan Royals’ run to the playoffs and captured the imagination of fans across the country. Months after the tournament’s conclusion, discussions around his extraordinary season and long-term potential continue to dominate cricket conversations.
Sooryavanshi’s record against Sunrisers Hyderabad perfectly summed up his remarkable season. After falling for a duck in their first meeting, the teenager bounced back with a century in the return fixture before producing a stunning 29-ball 97 in the Eliminator to knock SRH out of the tournament. His ability to respond to setbacks and dominate quality attacks left a lasting impression on opponents. Among those impressed was England batter Liam Livingstone, who spent much of the season on the sidelines with Sunrisers Hyderabad but witnessed firsthand the impact Sooryavanshi had against his team.
“I’ve never seen anything like it. And I’ve been there; this year was my seventh IPL. And I’ve played with and against some very good players, and I’ve never seen anything like it,” Livingstone said on the Stick to Cricket Podcast.
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“Vaibhav Sooryavanshi never really mis-hits”
Livingstone was particularly impressed by how quickly Sooryavanshi adapted over the course of the tournament. The England batter noted that while teams initially found ways to trouble the youngster, he kept adding new options to his game, making him increasingly difficult to contain as the season progressed. According to Livingstone, by the end of the tournament, bowlers were running out of plans against a batter who seemed to have an answer for every line and length.
“He’s just like the way he hits a ball, he hits a ball so clean, yeah. He never really mis-hits a ball, never really mis-hits a ball the whole time. And wherever the ball, the first time we got him out with a bouncer, first ball he hit it straight up. But then the development that he made as a player from the start of that tournament to the end was like… we were bowling bouncers and he was hitting it over third man, and then you’d bowl this side, he’d hit it there; you bowl full, he hit it there; bowl a low full toss, he’d flick it over there. And you’re like, ‘Well, hold on a minute, where do we bowl?'” Livingstone added.