Visualising destruction: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s method behind the madness

The Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026) has been hijacked by a 15-year-old sensation, who bats on international grounds against some of the fiercest bowlers of the cricket world, like he’s playing in his backyard and scores runs for fun. Every time Vaibhav Sooryavanshi walks out to bat, the entire nation is glued to their television sets in anticipation of what’s to come.

The teen batting sensation has already built a reputation for taking down the best bowlers in the world and is rapidly rising through the ranks, with every breathtaking performance taking him closer to an international debut. Every time Sooryavanshi plays a mind-boggling innings, people are left wondering about the method behind his madness.

On Wednesday in Mullanpur, fans got to witness Sooryavanshi’s unique pre-match routine and received a rare glimpse into the mind of the teenage sensation. Long before the noise of the crowd began to echo around the stadium, Sooryavanshi was seen quietly sitting behind the stumps with his eyes closed, and visualising how he would go about his innings later that day.

Sooryavanshi explains his pre-match routine

Explaining his pre-match routine in the post-match presentation after winning another player of the Match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Sooryavanshi said, “I just think about who the bowlers are in the opposition team, how I can face them on this wicket, how big the boundaries are, just these kinds of things. I just try to stay positive with my intent. When I do that, the bowlers stay under pressure. So I try to continue that and dominate the game.”

What Sooryavanshi was doing isn’t just a habit but a proper technique known as ‘guided imagery’ or visualisation, backed by science that elite athletes across sports have practised for decades to sharpen focus and improve performance. Seeing Sooryavanshi crouch down on the pitch reminded AB de Villiers of legendary Australia opener Matthew Hayden.

“I like what he’s doing here, reminds me a bit of Matthew Hayden, who used to sit on the pitch and visualise,” said AB de Villiers on JioHotstar.

Swept the stands and the awards 🏆 #TATAIPL | #Eliminator | #TheFinalLeap | #SRHvRR pic.twitter.com/aguEsCcj8h

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 27, 2026

Even Cummins has no answers

The magnitude of Sooryavanshi’s talent can be ascertained by the fact that even someone like Pat Cummins, who’s regarded as one of the best bowlers of the current generation, doesn’t have any idea how to stop him. The southpaw whacked him for three consecutive sixes in his second over, not even allowing him to settle into a rhythm.

“Yeah, he played pretty well. Yeah, just don't feel like you have too many options. Obviously, it's a really good pitch, but the margins are so small. If you miss your yorker by a little bit, he doesn't tend to miss them,” said Cummins in the post-match interview after Sooryavanshi slammed 97 (29) in the Eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

The mature mind driving Sooryavanshi's rise

What makes his rise even more fascinating is that behind the explosive strokeplay, he has a remarkably mature cricketing brain. The sixes may grab headlines, but it’s his preparation, clarity of thought and mental discipline that truly set him apart. Great players are often defined not just by talent but by their ability to understand the game quickly, and Sooryavanshi already seems light-years ahead of his age in that regard.

After losing the tri-series final against India in Sharjah, 1998, former Australia captain Steve Waugh famously remarked, “We did not lose to a team, we lost to a man named Sachin.” Nearly three decades later, Pat Cummins must’ve experienced a similar feeling, only this time the name is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, another teen prodigy rising through the ranks in the cricketing world.