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Vaibhav Suryavanshi has once again played another breathtaking innings in the ongoing IPL 2026. At just 15 years of age, the Rajasthan Royals batsman is playing cricket without any fear and is surprising everyone with his incredible batting against top world-class bowlers.
In the IPL 2026 Eliminator in New Chandigarh, Vaibhav scored a brilliant 97 runs in just 29 balls and completely destroyed the Sunrisers Hyderabad bowling attack. His fearless innings helped Rajasthan Royals defeat SRH by 47 runs to enter IPL 2026 Qualifier 2 on May 27.
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Throughout the innings, SRH skipper Pat Cummins and his bowlers kept changing plans to stop the RR teenage sensation. Sunrisers Hyderabad bowlers tried short balls, yorkers, slower balls and various field placements but nothing worked against Vaibhav, who continued his attack without showing any pressure.
AB de Villiers stunned to see Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s maturity under pressure
Legendary South African batsman AB de Villiers praised Vaibhav Suryavanshi after his explosive innings against SRH in the IPL 2026 Eliminator. The former RCB icon was really impressed by Vaibhav’s maturity, calmness and smart thinking during difficult moments.
Geostar quoted AB de Villiers as saying, “What stood out about Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s innings was his composure and clarity under pressure at just 15. Pat Cummins and Sunrisers Hyderabad kept trying different plans, constantly changing fields and mixing up their lengths to disrupt their rhythm, but he remained completely in his own bubble throughout the innings.”
That level of awareness of the game in a knockout match is remarkable for someone so young. It was an extraordinary display of fearless batting and showed why he is already being talked about as some of the most explosive players the IPL has ever seen.”
AB de Villiers lauds Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s preparation and mindset; compare him to matthew hayden
The former South African captain also praised Vaibhav’s preparation and understanding at such a young age. Vaibhav has spoken many times about visualizing matchups, studying bowlers and preparing mentally before the game and De Villiers was surprised by this level of maturity at his age.
Also Read: Former Indian captain criticizes Pat Cummins for ignoring Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s heroic innings in Eliminator vs SRH
De Villiers also compared the left-handed batsman’s approach to that of former Australian opener Matthew Hayden, who was famous for imagining situations before batting during his career.
The Proteas legend further added, “It actually reminded me a bit of Matthew Hayden, who used to spend time visualizing the pitch before batting. Over the course of his career, many of those routines will evolve, but the important thing is that Vaibhav is already creating his own habits and processes rather than trying to copy others.”
‘Already creating my own style’: ABD
The former South African captain further explained that the best thing about Vaibhav is that he is trying to create his own style and routine instead of blindly copying others. He believes that this mentality can help the RR young player become a big player in the future.
De Villiers signed off by saying, “The best players in the world ultimately discover what works authentically for them, and Vaibhav already has this understanding on his journey.” Notably, Suryavanshi has already scored 680 runs in the ongoing IPL 2026 at a blistering strike rate of over 230.
