IPL 2026: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi no longer a prodigy, but RR’s biggest match-winner

Rajasthan Royals (RR) are well and truly alive in the Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026) as they kept their playoffs hopes intact with a seven-wicket victory against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur. It was another win built on the fireworks of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who lit up Jaipur with a belligerent innings of 93 (38), studded with seven fours and ten sixes.

The 15-year-old was batting on 5* (10) at one stage, but later broke free, launching an all-out attack on the LSG bowlers, playing some of the most audacious shots known to mankind. His pulls soared into the stands, inside-out drives pierced the field, and aesthetic flicks disappeared over square leg. 

Every shot seemed to carry the certainty of a player completely in control of his craft. Every time the ball left Sooryavanshi’s bat, legendary India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, who was in the commentary box, was left gasping in disbelief at what was unfolding before his eyes.

Playing just his second IPL season, Sooryavanshi has already become the face of Rajasthan Royals (RR) and the heartbeat of their batting lineup. The 15-year-old is leading the run-scoring charts for the ongoing edition with 579 runs to his name from 13 innings.

Sooryavanshi's remarkable rise

The teenage batting sensation has already won two Player of the Match awards and has been the strongest pillar holding their campaign together.

In 2025, playing his first IPL season, Sooryavanshi came into the tournament without any expectations but still etched his name in the record books, scoring the fastest century by an Indian in IPL history off just 35 deliveries.

In the ongoing season, he has gone a step further, outshining all the big stars of his team and carrying Rajasthan’s batting lineup on his shoulders. Little did anyone expect a young Vaibhav to take up responsibility like a fish to water, but as the season has progressed, the 15-year-old has shown that he isn’t just a one-trick pony, giving glimpses of his immense maturity.

Against LSG in Jaipur, Vaibhav didn’t come out all guns blazing as usual, but was willing to spend some time at the crease, playing second fiddle to Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Sooryavanshi’s celebration a message to selectors?

However, once he got set, he unleashed his wrath on Lucknow’s bowlers, putting his wide array of strokes on display. Everyone who watched Sooryavanshi bat was left in awe, with his every shot convincing that he’s now ready for the big stage. Not the under-19s, not the A tours, but the senior men’s international cricket. 

Perhaps that’s what he wanted to convey when he made an ‘A’ using his fingers to celebrate his fifty, as if to signal to the selectors that he wants to be in the top-tier cricket and not just on A tours.

It only seems a matter of time before Sooryavanshi finally gets to make his international debut. However, before that, he will first have to take Rajasthan Royals into the playoffs, who will face Mumbai Indians in another must-win fixture on May 24.

Riding on Sooryavanshi’s rich form, RR will walk into the fixture in high spirits. Once in a while, cricket produces a talent that forces the world to stop and watch. And Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who's yet to make his international debut, has already got the entire fraternity's eyes fixated on him.