Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Smashing bowlers, tonking pacers and spinners for big sixes, and dismantling their economy rates seems routine for young batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. A year after becoming the youngest to score an IPL century, Sooryavanshi once again grabbed the spotlight. In Rajasthan Royals’ opening IPL 2026 match, the 15-year-old took on the likes of Matt Henry and Noor Ahmad in a stunning display.The teenager smashed a 15-ball half-century to set up Rajasthan Royals’ emphatic win over Chennai Super Kings on Monday.A year after becoming the youngest IPL centurion, Sooryavanshi again dominated, scoring a breathtaking 15-ball fifty against the five-time champions CSK to power Rajasthan Royals to an eight-wicket win.Sooryavanshi hammered two sixes each off Henry and Ahmad, with his standout stroke being a six over deep point off Henry.
After the match, when the Rajasthan Royals team boarded the bus, a video surfaced in which Sooryavanshi revealed he had eaten ‘Rajbhog’ (a sweet) before going out to bat against CSK.Rajasthan Royals wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel teased him, saying: “Well played youngster, once again very well played”.Sooryavanshi said: “Aaj Rajbhog mithayi kha ke gaya tha match me”.The two cricketers then burst into laughter.‘Sooryavanshi is too good to not play for India’Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin lauded Sooryavanshi after his breathtaking knock. Amid growing calls for his inclusion in India’s senior setup, Ashwin advised patience.Ashwin urged restraint in handling the 15-year-old prodigy and cautioned against rushing his progress.“Don’t give him such a target. He is not even a guy, he is a kid. If MS Dhoni is playing till 45 (44), and if Sooryavanshi plays till 40, he has two and a half decades left in cricket. Leave him alone, he will come on his own when the time is right. He is too good to not play for India. He will play anyway eventually. When will he play? For that, we might have to wait a bit. Why are we always in a hurry?” Ashwin said while speaking on his YouTube channel.“He turned 15 years old, so he scored a 15-ball 50, he is showing his age. I mean, what a player he is? How fast is his bat speed? CSK had no answers against him, they looked a flat, deflated unit on the field. RR have put on such a dominating performance that they have said, ‘Look at us, we are also a powerful team in this competition’,” he expressed.
