Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has now finished on the Orange Cap twice during this IPL season, but on both occasions it seemed he was carrying something even rarer along with it—a special piece of cricket memorabilia he has worn with pride for much of the campaign. The story of that cap began on April 10, when Rajasthan Royals hosted Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Guwahati.
In that match, the 15-year-old played a blistering knock, striking a 15-ball fifty and matching his own benchmark for the joint second-fastest half-century in IPL history—a mark he had also set earlier in the season against Chennai Super Kings. His innings ultimately delivered 78 runs off 26 deliveries, a powerful contribution that helped Rajasthan overcome the defending champions. The knock also propelled him to the summit of the Orange Cap standings.
Yet the evening carried an extra moment that likely mattered even more to him personally. After the game, Sooryavanshi spoke with Virat Kohli, and the India icon signed the youngster’s cap and added a short note: “Dear Vaibhav, well done.”
Since then, Sooryavanshi has repeatedly been seen wearing that signed cap in the Rajasthan dugout on matchdays. The same scene played out again on Tuesday night in Jaipur. After Rajasthan edged Lucknow Super Giants in a last-over thriller—securing their first home win of the season and keeping their playoff hopes alive—cameras caught Sooryavanshi once more with Kohli’s signature cap firmly on his head.
During the post-match formalities, as he moved through the usual conversations—speaking with team-mates and even engaging with LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka—the cap stayed in place. But when he was called forward to collect his third Player of the Match award of the season, he finally had to exchange it for the Orange Cap.
That switch came after another dominant performance: a composed, mature masterclass of 93 off just 38 balls that pulled him back to the top of the tournament’s run list. His total climbed to 579 runs across 13 innings, with an outrageous strike rate of 236.32.
During the knock, Sooryavanshi also set landmarks no one his age had reached in IPL history. He became the youngest batter to reach 500 runs in a single season, surpassing Rishabh Pant’s 2018 mark. He also became the youngest player to post 50 sixes in an IPL edition. With 53 maximums so far this season, he now sits just seven sixes away from Chris Gayle’s all-time tally of 60 from 2012, with Rajasthan still having one league match left.
My focus remains on the game
Sooryavanshi has emerged as the breakout figure of IPL 2026, and his explosive displays against some of the best bowling attacks in the world have kept the conversation revolving around him across cricket circles. With all the attention that follows, however, the left-handed batter has managed to remain remarkably level-headed.
After the match, he addressed the whirlwind around him with a calm confidence: “I don’t really see too much, I don’t read newspapers and all, so I don’t think too much about it. I just think that this is only the start. If my career becomes long and I play for a long time, people will say many more things. My focus should just remain on the game and I should complete my journey.” Those words, simple and direct, capture a maturity that looks far beyond his years.
