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Ahead of India’s tour of Ireland and England, Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Arun Dhumal showed his support for teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi. Many people might have given the credit for the 15-year-old batsman’s rapid rise to the franchise league.
After claiming the Orange Cap in the IPL 2026 season, the batsman received his first call-up to join the senior national team camp for the T20Is against Ireland and England. He has also been included in the 2026 Asian Games squad.

The tremendous rise of Vaibhav Suryavanshi
With the pace at which this young opener has progressed, his debut match for Team India is now only a matter of time. While many cricket fans credited IPL for Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s rise, Arun Dhumal denied the claims. Dhumal says that whatever Suryavanshi has achieved so far is entirely because of his talent.
The IPL chairman points out that before making headlines for Rajasthan Royals in the franchise league, the batsman had performed well in Under-19 age group cricket. The 2026 ICC Under-19 World Cup was another tournament where Vaibhav Suryavanshi left his mark with his extremely aggressive batting.
In the tournament, he hit 30 sixes, surpassing Dewald Brevis’ previous record of 18. In the final of the 2026 ICC Under-19 World Cup, the southpaw scored a record 175 runs (15 fours and 15 sixes) off 80 balls.

Vaibhav has many other records to his name in youth cricket, which reflect the pure talent within the batsman. During the Asia Cup 2024-25, the opening batsman scored an explosive 144 runs (century off 32 balls) in just 42 balls against UAE. 76 off 46 balls against UAE and 67 off 36 balls against Sri Lanka in the ACC U19 Asia Cup were two other instances when the Indian batsman stunned the cricket world.
I will not say this because of IPL: Arun Dhumal
“I wouldn’t say he is where he is today because of the IPL. He has been performing consistently for India Under-19. Who would have thought that in an Under-19 World Cup game, a 15-year-old kid would score 175 and take India to 400-plus runs?” IPL Chairman Arun Dhumal speaks about Vaibhav Suryavanshi
“He made us win that tournament, including the final. So definitely, he has performed well consistently. And because of his performances, he is getting a place in the team, not because of his age. He has performed very well for his age, and we wish him all the best to wear the India cap,” he said.
Video | IPL chairman Arun Dhumal has backed teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who is set to take another step in his fledgling career after a successful IPL season after being called up to India for the Ireland and England T20I series.
While many people have given credit for this to IPL… pic.twitter.com/UIsNxTjVlX
– Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 15, 2026
IPL 2026 was an extraordinary season for the batsmen
IPL 2026 was the latest proof of the batsman’s hitting abilities. In the season, Vaibhav Suryavanshi scored 776 runs for Rajasthan Royals in 16 matches and as many innings at an impressive strike rate of 237.30 and a batting average of 48.50.
After such a number of appearances, the national team selectors called him for T20 Internationals. If things go as per expectations, Suryavanshi can debut for Team India at the age of just 15.


