Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill has repeatedly found himself in the firing line of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s explosive IPL batting over the past couple of seasons. Sooryavanshi first announced himself in the tournament against the Titans, smashing a century off just 35 balls in the 2025 season. Gill has since faced the left-handed batter again and again, including during IPL 2026 Qualifier 2, where Sooryavanshi showcased his big-match temperament with a knock of 96 that featured eight fours and seven sixes. Yet in that same qualifier, Gill answered the challenge at the other end, striking 104 to help Gujarat Titans secure their place in the IPL final, setting up a title clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Sooryavanshi’s numbers across IPL 2026 underlined just how dominant his campaign was. He finished the season with 776 runs in 16 matches, maintaining an average above 48 and a strike rate exceeding 200. The 15-year-old also rewrote IPL records, becoming the youngest batter to reach 1,000 runs in the league. He then went on to surpass Chris Gayle’s tally for the most sixes in a single IPL edition, further cementing his reputation as a power-hitter with genuine all-round batting intelligence.
As the IPL 2026 final approached, Gill was asked about Sooryavanshi and offered high praise for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru opener. The India Test and ODI captain described him as “one of the best batters in the T20 format,” highlighting not only the impact of his hitting but also the craft behind it. Gill said, “It’s just a remarkable season for him. I have not seen anyone bat like this. At this moment, he’s one of the best batters in the world. It’s remarkable to see him, not just the hitting, but his batting mechanics and his hand speed, no matter what opposition he plays against.”
Gill also pointed to Sooryavanshi’s response to pressure, stressing that the youngster’s mindset has been a major factor in his consistency. He added, “The way he didn’t care after the flyer, but still managed to come back into the game and kept putting us under pressure, that just tells you about the mindset. I think in years to come, the opposition that plays against him will have a tough time.”
While Gujarat moved on, Sooryavanshi’s run still drew admiration from opponents, with Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag also speaking glowingly about the youngster after the team’s exit from the tournament. Parag said it was inspiring to watch how much Sooryavanshi developed in his second season, noting that his batting was far more than brute force. “I can’t really put it in words. There’s one way where you just go and slog and then you get a lot of runs. But the way he’s batted, it’s not just slogging. It’s not blind slogging. You can’t do what you just did today if you were just going from ball one. He calculates, he assesses conditions,” Parag said.
Parag went on to emphasise that Sooryavanshi seems to execute nearly everything correctly, even if others struggle to fully explain how he does it. “He does literally everything well. I still can’t figure out how. But hopefully he keeps doing that. Hopefully he represents our country and brings more laurels to the country. And hopefully he keeps on playing for Rajasthan Royals and gets us to that second championship,” he concluded.
