Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has opened up on a deeply personal influence from his childhood, crediting his father for feeding his imagination with stories from Indian cricket’s golden era—especially tales about Sunil Gavaskar. The 15-year-old has since turned that inspiration into results, emerging as the leading run-getter of IPL 2026. He struck 776 runs across 16 matches, playing a key role in Rajasthan Royals’ campaign that carried them to Qualifier 2, before they narrowly missed out on a berth in the final. With his bold intent and crisp strokeplay, Sooryavanshi is quickly becoming a reference point for young batters dreaming of making an impact at the top level.
During the IPL 2026 final in Ahmedabad, where Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Gujarat Titans, Sooryavanshi recalled one of those formative anecdotes from his early days. Standing alongside Gavaskar, he talked about how his father used to tell him stories of the great opener, focusing on a striking detail: Gavaskar, famed for his technique and nerve, is said to have faced the intimidating West Indies pace battery without wearing a helmet. The memory, shared in the moment, underlined how long those lessons had been shaping his mindset.
Sooryavanshi also reflected on his own progress throughout the season. “I have learned a lot from this season. I have seen a lot on and off the field. I need to keep improving and work hard on myself if I want to play for a long time. I will focus on that. I had made notes on my phone. I wrote that I wanted to score 700 runs this IPL season. After every match, I noted down my score against each team,” he said in JioStar.
He then expanded on the routine that helped turn those stories into practice habits. “Already, my father has told me a lot about you. When I used to practice on a cement wicket near my house, made by my father, he used to stand behind the nets. My height was not as much as it is today when I was very small. So, when I used to play a couple of good shots against bowlers, they bowled bouncers at me,” Sooryavanshi explained, describing how the challenges came in quickly during his earliest training.
When the bouncers arrived, frustration did too—but it was met with motivation rather than discouragement. “I got frustrated a bit when they bowled bouncers, and he used to narrate your stories. He said, ‘There was a legend from our times. He used to pull the deadly bowlers of the West Indies for sixes without wearing a helmet.’ That motivated me a lot. He kept on talking about you,” he added.
Sooryavanshi’s fearless approach against high-tempo bowling has since become one of the defining themes of his young career. Earlier in IPL 2025, he announced his arrival with a stunning 35-ball century against Gujarat Titans, going after top-quality pace and showing the same kind of composure as he took on bowlers including Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj. In IPL 2026, that same confidence has translated into consistent run-making, culminating in the tournament’s leading tally and setting him up as one of the brightest prospects in the league.
