‘The only thing stopping Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is his age’: Ex-England captain in awe of RR star

The rise of teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is no longer just an Indian phenomenon. The 15-year-old’s extraordinary IPL 2026 campaign has captured global attention, with former England captain Michael Vaughan revealing that even fans in the United Kingdom are tuning in specifically to watch the young batter.

Sooryavanshi’s fearless batting and remarkable consistency have turned him into one of the biggest talking points of the tournament. As the hype around the teenager continues to grow, discussions over a potential India debut are becoming increasingly louder. Vaughan believes the only reason the youngster has not already broken into the national side is because of his age.



“Not just in India, I reckon it’s happening around the world. I got messages from back home today saying that, over the last few weeks, the IPL hasn’t been watched as much in the UK as it used to be. But there’s one person everyone tunes in for, and that’s this kid,” Vaughan said on Cricbuzz.

“The moment he walks out to bat and gets going, people switch on their television screens. Let’s be brutally honest here. If he was 18, 19 or 20, he would already be playing for India. The only thing stopping him is his age,” he added.

The former England skipper went a step further and claimed Sooryavanshi has been the standout opener of the entire IPL season. While acknowledging India’s cautious approach towards handling a teenager, Vaughan insisted the Rajasthan Royals batter already deserves a place in the T20I setup.

“If you are picking an opening batting combination from this IPL season, who has been the best opener in the competition so far? In my opinion, it’s the young lad. I understand what India are trying to do. They are trying to protect him because he is so young. But he warrants a place in the national team, especially in 20-overs cricket.”

“In 50-overs cricket, you could argue he still has a bit to learn because he hasn’t played much of it. But in T20 cricket, he is the best opening batter India have right now. He should be in the national team. And he clearly showed us why with the way he played,” Vaughan said.

What has made Sooryavanshi’s rise even more extraordinary is the aura he has already developed at such a young age. Every time he walks out to bat, attention instantly shifts towards him. Vaughan compared the teenager’s growing influence to some of the sport’s biggest entertainers and suggested he may even surpass Chris Gayle in one aspect of power-hitting dominance.

“I don't know how many balls he has faced in comparison. I guarantee that this young chap is a lot higher than Chris Gayle in terms of percentage. He's a joy to watch. We sit in the green room, and we watch the game. As soon as he's batting, everyone just goes like that. No one's on the phone. You're just watching every single ball that he faces,” Vaughan pointed out.

Sooryavanshi has been the leading run-scorer for Rajasthan Royals this season and is enjoying a remarkable campaign. In 13 innings, the teenager has piled up 579 runs at an average of 44.53 and a staggering strike rate above 236. His tally includes one century, three half-centuries and 53 sixes, the most by an Indian batter in a single IPL season.

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