“Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s bat swing has been outstanding. What’s even more remarkable is how beautifully he clears his front foot to create room for balls aimed at his legs. This freedom allows him to play the way he does. That innings was nothing short of spectacular!”
This was not Joe Public’s opinion, but something the great Sachin Tendulkar posted on X minutes after Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s epic 29-ball 97 in the IPL Eliminator. And if we look around us, it is not hard to see why he wrote what he did.
Indian cricket badly needs a new star. Mahendra Singh Dhoni is now done, while Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are nearing the end. Jasprit Bumrah is in and out, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya are also blowing hot and cold, and Rishabh Pant is struggling. While Shubman Gill is holding fort in red-ball cricket, Indian white-ball cricket is in search of its next star. With an innings laden with 12 sixes, Vaibhav could well be on his way to becoming India’s next big brand.
As he was hitting his sixes against some of the best in the world, Ravichandran Ashwin and I were on WhatsApp, and Ashwin used the word “unreal” for Vaibhav. He is right. Just watching what was going on gave me a sense of the unreal. Here was a 15-year-old taking on the might of the world’s best bowlers and doing the job in almost every second game. The consistency is what stands out, and he has surpassed Chris Gayle’s IPL six-hitting record in almost half the number of balls.
Last year, I was worried about his temperament after a game against Pakistan. Clearly, he has worked on it and, if the U-19 World Cup final is anything to go by, he is ready for the big stage. The IPL is the world’s most-watched tournament and almost everyone was targeting him. He is not a one-season wonder anymore, and I would not be wrong in saying Vaibhav saved the IPL this particular season.
The journey of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi – where it all began
A few weeks back, we travelled to Vaibhav’s home town to bring to you the untold story behind the rise of this young prodigy.
Today, Vaibhav scripted history by breaking Chris Gayle’s 14-year-old IPL record of 59 sixes,… pic.twitter.com/1xlJA7C5Ky— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) May 27, 2026
With the war and everything else happening around it, the mood was negative. The numbers, at least on television, were down and the IPL needed something special. Vaibhav provided it and, in doing so, has pushed the bar towards becoming Indian cricket’s poster boy.
None of us know how far he will go or whether he will be able to replicate these efforts in international cricket. But what we do know is that he is an exceptional talent who seems ready in every way to embrace the T20 format at the international level. In fact, come the LA28 Games, I will be most surprised if Vaibhav Sooryavanshi does not step out to open for India as the country chases an Olympic gold medal in cricket.
As far as this IPL is concerned, he is now the X-factor. Not just in terms of impact, but also by the volume of runs scored and the manner in which he has scored them, Vaibhav has turned a new leaf. While there will be a lot of brands at his door at the end of the IPL, all he needs to do is stay sane and remain grounded. Riches will follow and Indian cricket will benefit.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, a hugely talented batter in his own right, looked ordinary in front of Vaibhav’s brilliance, and that is the kind of impact he had on the Eliminator. Clearly, he is ready for the international stage and the quicker we fast-track him, the better it will be for the sport. Vaibhav is surely Indian cricket’s next supernova.
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