Cricket fans across the globe are fixated on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi after an IPL campaign that feels almost unreal for a 15-year-old. Bursting onto the scene last year as a debutant, the teenager has now finished the 2026 season with the Orange Cap, outscoring several of the sport’s most established names. Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan and Heinrich Klaasen spent much of the tournament chasing his totals, but Sooryavanshi stayed ahead of the pack to claim the award.
Orange Cap glory after the 2026 final
Sooryavanshi received the Orange Cap on the podium during the presentation ceremony following the IPL final on Sunday. As the trophies were handed out, Kohli—now speaking from experience as a former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) teammate of AB de Villiers—offered a candid assessment of the youngster right as he collected his prize.
De Villiers reveals Kohli’s message to him
AB de Villiers, who was working with the broadcasters, JioStar, during the final, later explained what Kohli had told him when Sooryavanshi walked up to collect the Orange Cap. De Villiers described a brief exchange in which Kohli clearly signalled his belief in the teenager’s talent.
- De Villiers said Kohli raised his eyebrows and told him: “AB, this kid is special. The boy can play.”
- He added that he had a short chat with Kohli while Sooryavanshi was approaching the stage for the Orange Cap presentation.
Kohli’s impact in the final and the tactical lessons
De Villiers didn’t stop at praising the teenager. He also highlighted Kohli’s own match-winning role in the final, where the RCB captain scored a decisive 75 off 42 deliveries to steer his side to back-to-back titles. In the same discussion, De Villiers pointed to the tactical errors made by Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper Shubman Gill and suggested they allowed Kohli to impose himself at the right moments.
- De Villiers said GT’s plans changed the feel of the contest once Kohli’s position in the chase was allowed to settle.
- He argued that “if you take him out of that chasing batting order, then everything looks a bit different,” implying GT didn’t manage Kohli’s threat effectively.
- He noted Rashid Khan’s effectiveness from one end, while still stressing that Kohli’s calm approach shaped the innings.
- De Villiers praised Kohli’s ability to pace a chase through the full length of the innings and then finish it, adding that it was “fitting” he was there at the end delivering the winning runs.
How GT fed Kohli’s strengths
De Villiers also offered a more granular look at why Kohli was so difficult to stop. He suggested that the early phase of the innings gave Kohli the exact platform he needed—particularly through deliveries directed toward his strong areas—before the batter began to accelerate.
- He said a number of balls during Kohli’s first 20 to 30 runs were arriving on his legs.
- De Villiers added that giving a player of Kohli’s quality that kind of start is dangerous because he will punish it.
- Once Kohli started “flowing,” De Villiers described the remainder as “plain sailing,” turning the contest into a one-sided chase.
With Sooryavanshi’s Orange Cap moment and Kohli’s finishing touch tying the season together, the final left an unmistakable storyline: a teenage prodigy is ready for the spotlight, while RCB’s experienced match temperament still knows exactly how to close out the biggest games.
