Rajasthan Royals’ 15-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi found himself up against some of the IPL’s most proven quicks, including Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Deepak Chahar. Yet the contest swung sharply the other way when the Orange Cap holder for IPL 2026 met Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Praful Hinge and was dismissed on the very first ball he faced on Monday. A first-ball duck from the youngster left plenty of observers surprised, especially given SRH’s reputation for not always being the most dominant bowling outfit.
The early wicket also sparked fresh debate about whether Sooryavanshi’s mindset is built around targeting the biggest bowlers. Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan stepped into the conversation, backing the “theory” he had floated earlier after watching the teenager take on elite pace in recent outings.
Quick facts
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the IPL 2026 Orange Cap holder, was dismissed on the first ball against SRH’s Praful Hinge.
- Irfan Pathan posted on X (formerly Twitter) that his theory about Sooryavanshi might be correct after Monday’s incident.
- Irfan had previously suggested the teenage batter may intentionally go after big-name bowlers.
- RR began with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sooryavanshi; Sooryavanshi’s innings ended as a golden duck.
- Praful Hinge also got Lhuan Dre Pretorious for a second-ball duck and RR were 1/3 after the opening over.
Irfan Pathan’s ‘theory’ revisited
On April 10, Irfan had taken to X to question whether Sooryavanshi specifically looks to challenge top-tier pace attacks. He pointed to the way the teenager had previously struck big shots off major names, including Bumrah, for boundaries, while also noting that he hadn’t replicated the same impact against Hinge—an SRH bowler with less exposure in T20s and associated with Vidarbha.
On Monday, Irfan returned to the platform with a follow-up that read like a confirmation of his earlier hunch, posting that his viewpoint about Sooryavanshi wasn’t off the mark. In the comments that followed, supporters and critics offered counterpoints, with some arguing that the teenager simply wants to score quickly and go hard at whoever is in front of him.
RR’s powerplay starts with a twist
When RR got their innings underway, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sooryavanshi walked out together, with the spotlight firmly on the teenager. Sooryavanshi had not long ago announced himself in the league by rattling a title-winning Royal Challengers Bengaluru attack featuring Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Krunal Pandya. In that earlier outing, he had produced a rapid 26-ball 78, including eight boundaries and seven maximums.
With his Orange Cap status now displaced by Klaasen, the expectation was that Sooryavanshi would continue to deliver another explosive knock. However, the auction backdrop only added to the intrigue: SRH’s decision to sign Praful Hinge for ₹30 lakh had passed with limited attention amid the louder chatter around Cameron Green and CSK’s two major young domestic signings, Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma, priced at ₹14.20 crore each.
On the second delivery he faced—his first ball of the match—Sooryavanshi tried to clear the cow-corner region. The attempt didn’t come off, and the ball was taken cleanly by Salil, sending the youngster back to the pavilion for a golden duck.
That dismissal alone would have been a talking point, but Hinge’s over turned into a mini-collapse. Dhruv Jurel was then beaten as the ball went straight into his stumps two deliveries later, and the wicketkeeper-batter’s name faded from the IPL graphic without any runs to show. Hinge then completed his impact by trapping big-hitting South African Lhuan Dre Pretorious for a second-ball duck, leaving RR reeling at 1/3 after the first over.
