Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has emerged as one of the biggest stories of IPL 2026, leaving even some of the world’s best bowlers searching for answers. At just 15 years of age, the fearless opener has taken the tournament by storm with a brand of batting that very few players dare to attempt, let alone execute so consistently. Every time Sooryavanshi walks out to bat, the spotlight follows him, with fans and experts eager to witness another explosive innings from the teenage sensation.
Heading into the season, there were questions over whether opposition teams would figure him out after getting a better understanding of his game and scoring areas. Many expected a tougher second season for the youngster, but Sooryavanshi has responded in stunning fashion. He has already piled up more than 400 runs at an astonishing strike rate of 237.64, numbers that underline both his consistency and attacking intent. Playing in the world’s biggest T20 league at the age of 15 is an achievement in itself, but Sooryavanshi has gone a step further by fearlessly taking on some of the finest bowlers in world cricket. From Jasprit Bumrah and Josh Hazlewood to Pat Cummins and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the youngster has shown remarkable composure and belief, refusing to let reputations alter his natural game or fearless approach.
The next test for Sooryavanshi will come against the in-form Gujarat Titans, whose bowling attack has been one of the biggest reasons behind their strong campaign this season. However, Sooryavanshi has already shown that he enjoys taking on GT’s star-studded pace unit. Last season, he hammered a sensational 35-ball century against them, the fastest hundred by an Indian in IPL history. Earlier this season as well, the teenage opener made an immediate impact with a quickfire 31 off just 18 deliveries, attacking both Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada before Rashid Khan eventually dismissed him.
With Sooryavanshi’s fearless form continuing to grab attention, GT’s bowling attack once again faces the difficult task of finding a way to contain the 15-year-old sensation, something very few teams have managed so far this season.
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan was full of praise for Sooryavanshi and the fearless approach he has shown against some of the fastest and most experienced bowlers in world cricket. Pathan admitted that watching a 15-year-old confidently take on elite pacers has been a special sight this season, while also pointing out how Sooryavanshi seems to thrive on challenging the biggest names in the game rather than being intimidated by them.
“Personally, I would not like to see him being stopped. When you see Vaibhav Sooryavanshi play, you know, it’s always a very special feeling to see a 15-year-old boy going out there and facing guys like Rabada, who’s bowling at 150, facing experienced bowlers like Mohammed Siraj, and actually targeting them. And I personally feel that, you know, in a lighter note, I’ve said it that he targets the big bowlers, which is sort of true, but look, he enjoys the challenge. He’s got the talent,” Irfan Pathan, expert on JioHotstar’s ‘Champions Waali Commentary’, said while replying to Hindustan Times query in a selected media interaction.
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While praising Sooryavanshi’s fearless strokeplay, Pathan also highlighted the youngster’s growing maturity and game awareness. Pathan pointed to Sooryavanshi’s calculated approach against Rabada in the previous clash vs GT as a sign that the 15-year-old is not relying solely on aggression, but is also learning when to absorb pressure and build his innings smartly
“Last time, his maturity was shown from this game versus Gujarat and Rajasthan – it was the game in Ahmedabad where he defended Rabada’s over, where he thought that ‘okay, Rabada can be the threat’ and he defended, and then he targeted the other bowlers later on. And that means he wants to work on his game, which means he wants to work on his defensive game slightly. He needs to work hard because of the kind of backlift he has,” he added.
Can Kagiso Rabada stop Vaibhav Sooryavanshi?
Looking ahead to Sooryavanshi’s next battle against Gujarat Titans, Pathan singled out Kagiso Rabada as the bowler most capable of troubling the teenage sensation.
“Who will be stopping him? Look, I think I’ll be excited to see Rabada versus Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Can Rabada, you know, go for the yorker or, you know, that angle away? Can he do that? Can he do two things? That’ll be very interesting, because I think all the bowlers will now start bowling to him, especially they will start bowling yorkers as well and they’ll start finding different ways. I seriously believe that behind point and third man, that’s the area to make him play. That’s one way to actually keep him quiet and maybe get him out. But there’s a yorker – another option, so who can bowl the yorker in that particular game? That bowler might be able to stop him. But I personally don’t want him to be stopped at any stage. I want him to keep scoring runs and I want him to play top-level cricket,” he added.
Speaking about his experience with JioHotstar’s ‘Champions Waali Commentary’, Pathan said the platform has given former cricketers far more freedom to break down the finer aspects of the game in detail.
“Look, this Champions Wali Commentary is the best thing that has happened to broadcast because we got to explore—especially guys like me who love to analyse batting, bowling, fielding, the details. For me, I’m absolutely loving it. I think this is my zone and nothing better than being part of such an elite panel where we have quite a few solid cricketers, experienced cricketers coming and give their own different opinions in different games. Absolutely loving every bit of it. Actually, whenever the session starts, I’m excited. You know, I’m always thinking ‘what’s gonna happen now?’ and ‘what I can do to add value to the viewers and the broadcasting?'” Pathan said.
Champions Wali Commentary is a dedicated digital feed in Hindi on CTV featuring former TATA IPL champions who share never heard before tales and an insight into players’ minds as live action plays out.