Mayhem and carnage barely cover what Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has produced in the IPL 2026. The 15-year-old opening batter from the Rajasthan Royals has taken over the Orange Cap after smashing a 78-run knock against the defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati on Friday.
Chasing a target of 202, Sooryavanshi showed none of the jitters usually associated with facing a top-tier new-ball pair. Hitting from the start, he played the chase with the same freedom as any routine batting day, taking on Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood straight away in the powerplay rather than changing his plan once the match demanded caution.
There was a belief that a teenager would be overwhelmed by the experience of two senior internationals. Instead, it was the opposite: the Royals opener kept finding boundaries and forcing decisions, leaving the seasoned bowlers short on answers for long stretches.
Sooryavanshi’s night, from blitz to Kohli moment
- Rajasthan began their chase of 202 with Sooryavanshi pressing hard from ball one, attacking Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood inside the powerplay.
- Virat Kohli, the RCB talisman, watched the damage unfold first-hand as Sooryavanshi’s innings gathered momentum.
- After the match ended, Sooryavanshi secured an autograph from Kohli.
- Kohli signed Sooryavanshi’s Rajasthan Royals cap and wrote: “Dear Vaibhav, well done.”
- Rajasthan’s chase never truly looked in danger as the Riyan Parag-led side completed a convincing six-wicket win with 12 balls remaining, marking their fourth victory in a row.
- With the result, the Royals strengthened their position at the top of the IPL 2026 points table.
Orange Cap holder
That 78-run innings also moved Sooryavanshi past his opening partner, Yashasvi Jaiswal, into the Orange Cap lead. The left-handed batter now sits on 200 runs across four matches, including two half-centuries. Notably, both of those fifties—one against the Chennai Super Kings and another versus RCB—were carved out in just 15 balls each.
Against the defending champions, Sooryavanshi put together a 108-run partnership for the second wicket with Dhruv Jurel. He eventually fell to Krunal Pandya, but Jurel carried on with composure, staying unbeaten on 81 off 43 deliveries to steer RR to an easy finish.
RCB’s 201/8 and the late surge
Earlier, RCB posted 201/8 in their 20 overs, supported by a 63-run effort from skipper Rajat Patidar. At one stage, the innings looked to be slipping away as Bengaluru were reduced to 125/7, but the franchise responded by using Venkatesh Iyer as an impact substitute.
Venkatesh then made an immediate difference, finishing unbeaten on 29 off 15 balls to help RCB cross the 200-run mark—setting up the chase that Sooryavanshi ultimately turned into a statement win for Rajasthan.
