Kamal Ghorui
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi might be making headlines with his bat in IPL 2026, but beyond the field, the 15-year-old batting sensation has also become the centre of a rather unusual stream of conversations. From calls for an immediate India debut to debates over whether the timing is right, the buzz around the Rajasthan Royals teenager has only continued to grow with every fearless innings.Such has been the prodigious talent of Sooryavanshi that, at times, it almost feels unreal watching a 15-year-old take apart some of the best bowlers in world cricket with such ease. Naturally, that has also opened the door for a few bizarre theories and tongue-in-cheek reactions.
There were joking suggestions from across the border that there might be an “AI chip” inside his bat. Former Rajasthan Royals teammate and T20 great Jos Buttler even joked that he had messaged Jofra Archer asking whether Sooryavanshi is AI, created by Elon Musk”.And now, adding another layer to the ever-growing Sooryavanshi folklore, comes a completely different and unexpected claim.A social activist, CM Shivakumar Nayak, in a video going viral on social media, argued that the teenager was being ‘exploited’ by the professional cricket system and said he intended to file a police complaint or legal case against Rajasthan Royals for allegedly violating child rights and child labour laws.Bizarre as it may sound, the comments quickly gained traction online, becoming the latest addition to the growing list of conversations surrounding the teenage prodigy.“This 15-year-old boy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi from Rajasthan Royals is being exploited. He is just a child, only 15 years old, and they have brought him into the IPL to play professional cricket. This is nothing but child labour.”“How can they make a minor boy play in such a big league like this? He should be focusing on his studies, going to school and completing his education instead of playing cricket at this tender age,” said Nayak. Nayak further contended that allowing Sooryavanshi to compete at this level establishes ‘a very bad precedent’ for youth across the nation.“I strongly condemn this and I will be filing a police complaint or legal case against the Rajasthan Royals management for violating child rights and child labour laws. Don’t let this boy play IPL cricket, it’s child labour, he should study,” he went on to add. Sooryavanshi, after all, has become one of the biggest stories of IPL cricket over the last two seasons.Since his debut in April 2025 at just 14 years and 23 days old, Sooryavanshi has emerged as one of the most explosive young batters in T20 cricket. Across IPL 2025 and IPL 2026, he has scored 656 runs in 17 matches at an average of 38.59 and an astonishing strike rate of 224.66, including two centuries and three fifties. He created history in 2025 by becoming the youngest-ever T20 centurion, smashing 101 off 38 balls against Gujarat Titans, with the hundred coming in just 35 balls, the second-fastest century in IPL history. In IPL 2026, he continued his remarkable rise with another century, scoring 103 off 37 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad.Beyond the IPL, Sooryavanshi starred in the 2026 U19 World Cup, guiding India national under-19 cricket team to the title and winning Player of the Tournament after a stunning 175 off 80 balls in the final against England national under-19 cricket team. He also holds records as the youngest player to score a List A century and the fastest batter from Bihar to reach 150 runs in domestic cricket.
