Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was at the centre of attention as he attended the IPL 2026 summit meeting between the Gujarat Titans and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. The 15-year-old drew extra focus with a fresh new look, debuting a new haircut that had already become a talking point ahead of the final. Cameras also caught him sitting among high-profile guests during the showpiece event.
Sooryavanshi was spotted seated alongside ICC Chairman Jay Shah and BJP MP Anurag Thakur. The broadcast further showed the Rajasthan Royals opener engaging in conversation with Shah during the contest, reinforcing how prominently he was placed in the VIP section. He was in the same box as BCCI Vice-President Rajeev Shukla, former India captain Sourav Ganguly, and several other dignitaries.
Quick facts
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi attended the IPL 2026 final in Ahmedabad.
- The match was played at Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.
- Sooryavanshi was seen with ICC Chairman Jay Shah and BJP MP Anurag Thakur.
- He was also seated with BCCI Vice-President Rajeev Shukla, Sourav Ganguly, and other guests.
- Sooryavanshi became the youngest Orange Cap holder in T20 tournament history on Sunday.
- He finished IPL 2026 with 776 runs and topped the run charts of the 19th edition.
- RCB won the toss and chose to bowl in the final.
- Gujarat made 155/8 in 20 overs, and RCB restricted the Titans under 160.
- RCB’s Virat Kohli hit his fastest IPL fifty in 25 balls.
His presence at the stadium sparked a surge of reactions online, with fans especially fixated on his new haircut. The final day also marked a major personal milestone for the youngster: on Sunday, Sooryavanshi became the youngest Orange Cap holder in the history of the T20 competition. He wrapped up his campaign with 776 runs, finishing as the tournament’s leading run-getter of the 19th edition after Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan failed to make an impact in the final.
The tournament’s top run scorers all finished with big totals, with Sooryavanshi, Gill and Sudharsan crossing the 700-run mark. Still, it was Sooryavanshi who edged past the others to claim the marquee batting prize. Virat Kohli, the RCB icon, ended up fourth in the standings after striking a half-century, while also etching another record into the chase.
Kohli recorded his fastest IPL fifty, reaching the landmark in just 25 deliveries. In the wider context of IPL 2026, Sooryavanshi also shattered multiple benchmarks during the season, including surpassing Chris Gayle’s mark for the most sixes in a single IPL edition.
IPL 2026 final: how it unfolded
In the final between RCB and GT, Bengaluru won the toss and elected to field first. Gujarat then posted 155/8 from their 20 overs, with Washington Sundar driving the innings with a determined fifty. Rasikh Salam Dar struck with three wickets, while Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar each took two to keep the Titans’ score below 160.
RCB’s chase began with intent as Kohli and Venkatesh Iyer dismantled the Gujarat bowling in the early overs, hitting Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada during the powerplay. The momentum, however, shifted back to GT when they struck in quick succession, removing Iyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, and Krunal Pandya one after another.
With the chase still in play, Kohli took charge and struck his fastest IPL half-century—again off only 25 balls—drawing RCB closer to the trophy. As the finish neared, the 37-year-old started limping, prompting concern among the crowd in Ahmedabad as the tension mounted.
