Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has long spoken about modelling his batting on Brian Lara, and the latest chapter of that influence is hard to miss. After firing his second IPL century—this time off just 36 balls—Carlos Brathwaite believes the teenager should be guided in a way similar to how Lara was nurtured in his youth.
Quick facts
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi hit his second IPL century, scoring 36-ball 100+.
- Brathwaite wants Sooryavanshi to be developed with senior mentorship, similar to Lara’s early pathway.
- Sooryavanshi made 103 off 37 balls for Rajasthan Royals (RR) against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), in a match that ended in defeat.
- Deep Dasgupta praised Sooryavanshi’s technical strength and warned that mental handling will be the key.
- IPL 2025: 252 runs in seven games; IPL 2026: 357 runs in seven games.
- Sooryavanshi briefly led the Orange Cap race on Saturday before Abhishek Sharma moved ahead with a half-century.
- Sooryavanshi’s strike rate this season is 234.86, second-best among batters; he also tops ESPNcricinfo’s MVP ratings.
Brathwaite pointed to Lara’s early recognition as a marker of how best-in-class talent should be shaped. He noted that Lara was identified early, spent time around legends such as Viv Richards and others, and only then arrived for his Test and ODI debuts at the age of 21.
In Brathwaite’s view, that gradual ladder makes sense for Sooryavanshi as well. He suggested keeping the youngster close to the India set-up to learn from established stars, without rushing him into an international debut too soon.
“I apologise, Vaibhav, but if you look at how West Indies treated Brian Lara… he was a generational talent—everyone knew it,” Brathwaite said. He then explained that West Indies surrounded Lara with the senior group, including Richards, but did not hand him international cricket immediately.
Brathwaite added that Lara’s early growth came through heavy exposure to tour cricket and learning alongside experienced players before his eventual debut. He argued that the same “best of both worlds” approach could apply now: being around the India environment, picking up lessons from Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Suryakumar Yadav, while also benefiting from the presence of peers close to his age before being asked to swim at the highest level.
Dasgupta’s caution: technique is set, mindset is the question
Deep Dasgupta agreed that Sooryavanshi’s rise to higher honours looks inevitable, but insisted the process still needs careful management. While he described the batter as superb technically, he warned that form—often unpredictable for even the best hitters—can be the factor that tests a player at the next stage.
“We’ve seen some really good talents go a little bit awry,” Dasgupta said. He stressed that calls for a place in the India XI are only part of the story, because success at the top level typically requires both technical ability and mental strength.
Dasgupta felt the technical box is already ticked, pointing to Sooryavanshi’s ability to deal with the world’s top bowlers. However, he said the mental side will naturally come with fluctuations, and that the key is whether the player can manage the highs and lows when the spotlight becomes sharper.
He also highlighted the most impressive aspect of Sooryavanshi’s journey so far: the way he transitioned from his debut IPL campaign. In IPL 2025, Sooryavanshi scored 252 runs across seven matches, and in IPL 2026 he has already taken that tally past the previous season’s total with 357 runs in seven games.
Dasgupta suggested that first-year performances can sometimes be dismissed as a brief flare-up, but he believes year two is where genuine class shows. He pointed out that bowlers adjust their plans as scouting improves, yet Sooryavanshi has still produced—reinforcing his status as a standout talent.
“The first year could have been a flash [in the pan], whatever, an unknown commodity,” Dasgupta said. “But year two is always challenging… and we’ve seen what has happened in this second year. So he is a very, very special talent.”
On the question of whether India call-ups are next, Brathwaite’s confidence was striking. He said that based on the trajectory Sooryavanshi is on, the youngster could even be “the face of the IPL” as soon as next season.
Brathwaite framed it as the core purpose of the league: with a massive fanbase and a young star emerging at the right moment, the scene is set for a broader spotlight. He said that a 15-year-old Sooryavanshi could become the league’s leading face next year, adding that words cannot properly capture what people are seeing—so the best approach is to enjoy it.
In the season’s live race, Sooryavanshi’s 357-run haul briefly put him at the top of the Orange Cap standings on Saturday. That lead did not last long, though, as Abhishek Sharma took over with a half-century of his own.
Even without the cap, Sooryavanshi’s numbers remain dominant: his strike rate of 234.86 is the second-highest among batters this season. He is also sitting at the summit of ESPNcricinfo’s MVP ratings, underlining how consistently he has been impacting games in IPL 2026.
