Virender Sehwag has hailed Vaibhav Sooryavanshi after the teenager produced a ruthless display against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Friday, striking the ball with frightening ease. In the match, the Rajasthan Royals opener smashed 78 runs off just 26 deliveries, laced with eight fours and seven sixes, at a strike rate of 300.0. The 15-year-old has carried that electric momentum into IPL 2026, and this season he has taken his impact up another level.
Sooryavanshi is also leading the race for the Orange Cap, sitting on 200 runs from four matches. His numbers read 50.00 with the bat and a strike rate of 266.66, underlining how quickly he is piling runs. So far, he has already converted two innings into half-centuries during the ongoing campaign.
Taking to X, Sehwag shared his excitement for the RR batter, saying that the “sky is the limit” for him. “Not many can provide this kind of excitement at this age, that he does it at 15 is another matter. There is a method to his madness, fearlessness and sky is the limit for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi,” he wrote.
In conversation on Cricbuzz, Sehwag was asked why experts have been lavishing so much praise on Sooryavanshi. The former India batter responded bluntly, stressing that the performances themselves have earned the attention. He pointed out that the youngster’s batting at 15 is so effective that even established players are struggling to match that intensity.
Sehwag also drew a comparison with India opener Abhishek Sharma, highlighting that the same level of spotlight hasn’t been directed at him despite a similar brand of attacking cricket. He noted that Sharma had been out of sorts before IPL 2026, getting dismissed three times in a row in his three group-stage outings against USA, Pakistan and the Netherlands during the 2026 T20 World Cup. While Sharma did finally find form in the final, striking 52 off 21 balls, he has still had a tough time in the current IPL. In IPL 2026, Sharma has managed only 55 runs across three matches, averaging 18.33 with a strike rate of 177.41.
“He is playing in such a way that people are obviously going to talk about him. Why aren’t we talking so much about other players, compared to how much we are talking about Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. He is showing it to us by performing, the way he is batting at 15-years-old, even experienced players aren’t being able to do that. Abhishek Sharma is also an aggressive power-hitter, but we haven’t said that he is dangerous. So dangerous has only been given to Sooryavanshi. What he is doing is, not just in one match, in the previous game vs MI, he got 39 off 14 in front of Bumrah. Today it is 78 off 26. He is a kid, but taking on elders,” Sehwag said.
Sehwag added that praise should continue while the youngster’s approach remains effective, and that criticism will naturally follow if he gets out playing similar shots. “People should praise him and talk about him. When he gets out by playing a similar shot, we will be the ones to criticise him, warning him and questioning his shot selection. Right now, we haven’t even praised him that much; we have done it to a normal limit,” he concluded.
The innings turned out to be a thoroughly dominant one, with Rajasthan Royals winning by six wickets and extending their unbeaten run. RR are currently at the top of the table after recording four wins from four matches.
Chasing 202, Rajasthan eased their way to 201/8 in 20 overs. Alongside Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel—batted at number three—also played a major role, finishing unbeaten on 78* from 26 balls. Jurel’s knock featured eight fours and seven sixes, adding another layer of momentum to the chase.
RCB had posted 201/8 in their 20 overs, with Rajat Patidar contributing 63 off 40 balls. For Rajasthan, Jofra Archer, Ravindra Jadeja and Brijesh Sharma shared the wickets, with each producing a two-wicket haul to keep the pressure on throughout the innings.
After the match, Sooryavanshi explained his mindset and spoke about how he handles facing high-profile, senior pacers. “At the back of the mind it stays that who is bowling, but I was trying to play the ball, not look at the bowler, and play the ball according to what it is, play my game.”
He also detailed his attacking approach, saying that his focus is on repeating what he practices rather than chasing anything unusual. “I just try to do what I do in practice, do the same, don’t try anything extra and back my natural game.”
