RCB’s title-winning run in IPL 2026 may have grabbed the headlines, but the season’s most compelling individual plot has come from Vaibhav Sooryanshi. While Royal Challengers Bengaluru delivered the kind of consistent team cricket that ultimately decided the campaign, it was the teenager’s extraordinary batting that kept drawing the biggest reactions across the game.
Key takeaways
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the IPL 2026 trophy, but the tournament’s standout performer was Vaibhav Sooryanshi.
- Sooryanshi won the Orange Cap at the age of 15, scoring 776 runs in the competition.
- Jos Buttler called Sooryanshi “nearly the IPL” after watching his impact unfold throughout the season.
- Former England pacer Stuart Broad suggested Sooryanshi could be the first global star to rise to that level without having played international cricket.
- Manoj Badale revealed that during Rajasthan Royals’ match in Kolkata, half of Eden Gardens reportedly turned up to watch Sooryanshi and wore RR jerseys.
- Buttler also mentioned that a dedicated song was played inside the ground when Sooryanshi hit the ball into the stands.
Sooryanshi’s tournament impact draws global praise
Even with RCB lifting the trophy, the cricket world’s attention kept shifting back to Sooryanshi. The 15-year-old not only topped the Orange Cap charts, but did so with 776 runs, establishing himself as a match-winner in a way that felt almost unprecedented for someone so young. Buttler, who did not get the chance to share the dressing room with him at Rajasthan Royals, was struck by how quickly Sooryanshi has made his mark.
Speaking during a podcast with Stuart Broad, Buttler said RCB were the main storyline because they won the IPL. Yet he added that Sooryanshi was nearly the entire tournament—labeling him as the MVP, the defining force behind the 700-plus run haul, and someone who played at a pace faster than everyone else. Buttler described it as “amazing to watch,” underlining the sheer dominance of Sooryanshi’s season.
Broad and Buttler highlight a rare global rise
Broad, reflecting on Sooryanshi’s rapid growth, pointed out a detail that has surprised many in international cricket circles: the teenager is still yet to make his international debut, but the buzz around him has already spread well beyond IPL followers. Broad said that while he previously hadn’t seen a player become an international star without first playing international cricket, people in England are now talking about Sooryanshi with genuine awe. He suggested Sooryanshi has become a world star in the truest sense, and even compared the scale of attention to the way other major names have captured the game—while stressing that Sooryanshi’s rise has come without international experience.
Buttler also shared the context behind his own amazement, explaining that he had spoken with former Rajasthan Royals owner Manoj Badale about Sooryanshi. Badale’s account, according to Buttler, was particularly striking: in Kolkata, during a Rajasthan fixture this season, it was said that roughly half of Eden Gardens was filled by Sooryanshi’s supporters. Buttler noted that the fans were not just present in large numbers—they were reportedly wearing RR jerseys in support of him.
From packed stands to songs after every big hit
Buttler said the story about the Kolkata crowd captured the kind of pressure that Sooryanshi faced at just 15 years old. He suggested that the teenager somehow absorbed it all and kept performing. Buttler added that whenever Sooryanshi batted and started “blasting,” there was even a specific song—described as a “Sooryavanshi song”—that seemed to play in response to his big hits.
Looking ahead, Buttler expressed eagerness to see Sooryanshi touring England soon and adapting to conditions there. He joked that it might not be ideal for his team’s bowlers, but insisted it would be worth it because the curiosity around Sooryanshi is already widespread. He said everyone—from fellow players to support staff—appears to be intrigued, and he wants to see the youngster up close.
Buttler finished by adding one more sign of the growing cult status Sooryanshi has developed in the IPL: during this campaign, a dedicated song was played inside the stadium whenever Sooryanshi launched the ball into the stands.
