Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, 15, was named Player of the Match for his blistering 78 off 26 balls for Rajasthan Royals against RCB in IPL 2026, marking his second-season success after winning the U19 World Cup. He attributed his success to following coach advice on process, playing his natural game, and ignoring the reputation of bowlers like Josh Hazlewood,Bhuvneswar Kumar. He said Mentors and his father advised him to stay grounded and keep the focus on his long-term cricketing journey, not just immediate stardom.

Vaibhav said, “ Papa is one and also my coaches ( are guiding me), here my guardian is Romi ( Bhinder) sir. So all these people keep telling me that the journey is very long, this has just started, so you have to focus on your process and your work, you have to focus on the game without looking here and there.”

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi said he is not overawed by bowler but by the ball

There is just no stopping Vaibhav. The wonder kid continues to light up the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, and the Rajasthan Royals' opening batter blew away the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Friday at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati. Lasting just 26 balls in the middle, the 15-year-old smashed 78 runs with the help of eight boundaries and seven sixes to help the hosts make light work of the 202-run target. Just like against Bumrah, Sooryavanshi did not take a backward step against Hazlewood and smashed the Australian pacer for fun.

At the post-match presentation, Sooryavanshi explained why he's not overawed by bowlers like Bumrah and Hazlewood, saying his focus is always on playing the ball rather than the bowler. In the match against RCB, Sooryavanshi played just four balls against the Australian pacer, but smashed him for 18 runs, with three fours and one six.

“At the back of the mind, it stays who is bowling, but I was trying to play the ball, not look at the bowler, and play the ball according to what it is, play my game,” said Sooryavanshi.“I just try to do what I do in practice, do the same, don't try anything extra and back my natural game,” he added.

Vaibhav was on course for getting the first century of the IPL 2026 edition; however, he ended up losing his wicket against the run of play off the bowling of Krunal Pandya. Let’s see if he can keep the Orange Cap with hm till the end of season.