Aditya Thakur is a 20-year-old cricketer with a clear target: earn a place in the Bihar U-23 set-up for the 2026-27 domestic season. To chase that dream, he keeps travelling between cities to sharpen his batting. Yet there is one match he never wants to miss—whenever the Rajasthan Royals are in action—because his younger brother, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, is part of the franchise.
Aditya comes from Ramapur Maheshpur, a village near Sooryavanshi’s home in Tajpur, in Samastipur. Over the last five years, he has served as Vaibhav’s side-arm thrower, helping him work on timing and transfer through the crease. Aditya says he has never been surprised by the way the teenager is batting, describing it as both composed and purposeful from the very first ball.
“I am not surprised at all,” Aditya, currently training in Jaipur, said. He added that the Royals’ games are special for him because his sibling is not just playing—he is making an impact.
Sooryavanshi’s latest burst for the Royals
- After facing Mumbai Indians fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah a few days earlier, Sooryavanshi continued his momentum on Friday night.
- In that match, held in Guwahati, the teenager tore into Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s pace attack, taking on Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
- He started aggressively against Bhuvneshwar by carving out a boundary off an inswinging yorker, setting the tone early.
- A key detail, according to those around the youngster, was the unusual mechanics in his back-lift and how naturally his bat comes through even against hard, straight deliveries.
- Against Hazlewood, he struck with precision—first using deft placement toward square third man—before sending the next ball over mid-on.
- He then completed a three-boundary run featuring an excellent cover drive.
- The standout shot came as a pull over deep square leg for a maximum, after which he continued to pile on runs.
- Sooryavanshi hit 19 runs off Hazlewood’s over, and then followed it up with back-to-back sixes off Bhuvneshwar.
- With those strikes, he reached his half-century in just 15 balls, underlining how quickly he can turn pressure into power.
Aditya’s faith in Vaibhav’s batting has stayed constant. He framed the feeling around each arrival at the crease as something like celebration. When asked whether it feels like firecrackers going off in Tajpur every time Vaibhav walks out to bat, Thakur replied: “Pathaake footte hi rehte hain (It feels like firecrackers keep bursting all the time).”
Former India fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who spoke after the game, also praised the quality of the teenager’s approach. “I think we could not have done much. The way he is hitting shots, he is not slogging. He is playing proper shots. For a 15-year-old, he is too mature. I think we should give him credit for the way he is batting. He is batting really well and deserves all the credit,” Bhuvneshwar said to reporters.
Why his technique stands out
In a description shared by Zubin Bharucha—Vaibhav’s mentor—last year, the focus was on Sooryavanshi’s back-lift and the rarity of his bat movement. The mentor said that the bat typically does not go beyond a right shoulder for most batters, but in Vaibhav’s case it not only passes that line, it goes past his head. Bharucha added that even if a straight yorker is delivered at around 150, the shot should be extremely hard to execute because of the difficulty of bringing the bat from in front of the head and then dropping it all the way back into position—yet Vaibhav, he said, does it naturally.
Training drills and a moment of maturity
Aditya also explained an unusual training routine at home that he believes has shaped Vaibhav’s temperament. He said Sooryavanshi trains for three hours every morning and three hours every evening.
He then recalled an incident from last year, just before the IPL began. According to Aditya, Vaibhav was hit on the helmet during training and went down. His father, Sanjeev Sooryavanshi, was watching from behind the nets and did not panic. Aditya said he was frightened and ran to him, but Vaibhav got up by himself without flinching. For safety, they took him to Patna for an MRI, and the results were fine.
Aditya said Vaibhav even asked the doctor about his timetable immediately: “Sir, kal se cricket khel sakte hain? (Can I play cricket from tomorrow?).”
At just 15, while many players are still finding their rhythm, Sooryavanshi is already showing the ability to dictate play with fearless strokeplay and clear thinking. Those close to him believe that if this really is only the start, Indian cricket could be on the verge of witnessing the emergence of a once-in-a-generation talent.
For fans tracking the Royals and the rest of the IPL, keep an eye on live score updates, the match schedule, the points standings, and the race for the Orange Cap and Purple Cap.
