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Vaibhav Suryavanshi announced himself on the big stages as he had a stellar performance with Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season and broke several records in the recently concluded Rich Cash League. The 15-year-old sensation won every possible individual award after his stellar IPL 2026 season, which earned him his first India A ODI call.
Later, he was fast-tracked by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as he was selected for the upcoming Ireland and England T20I series and was also named in the Asian Games 2026 squad. Vaibhav Suryavanshi was picked by the Royals in the 2025 season, when Rahul Dravid was the head coach. He made his debut under the former head coach of India.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s tremendous rise has been breathtaking
Vaibhav Suryavanshi, in his first match, hit a six on the first ball of Shardul Thakur and scored 34 runs in 20 balls. In the same season, he scored 101 runs in 38 balls, making him the youngest centurion in men’s T20 cricket. However, this season he was completely different as he finished as the leading run-scorer in the tournament.
Vaibhav won the Orange Cap after scoring 776 runs in the tournament, and he also won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, the player of the tournament, for his exceptional performances and becoming the youngest player to achieve these milestones.
“Don’t think there is any recipe for making Suryavanshi” – Rahul Dravid praises Vaibhav Suryavanshi
Vaibhav is set to make his senior team debut against Ireland in Belfast on Friday. Earlier, former Rajasthan Royals head coach Rahul Dravid has shared his thoughts on the young talent as he had some great thoughts on the former’s batting during IPL 2025.
Speaking to BBC, Dravid described Vaibhav Suryavanshi as “truly a unique talent”. “I think it’s an incredible combination of a bowler’s ability to pick up pace and then cricket shrewdness, fearlessness. It’s a perfect combination of things.”
Dravid said, “I don’t think there is a recipe for making Suryavanshi, I don’t think you can take a kid and say, do this, and he will become that good. There are some things that he is just gifted with.”
He has also worked very hard – Rahul Dravid on Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s work ethic
However, Dravid pointed out that Suryavanshi’s success is not limited to talent alone. He recalled working with him at Rajasthan Royals in 2025, when the youngster made his IPL debut at the age of 14.
“But he has also worked very hard, so it is not just a gift. From a young age, he has hit a lot of balls. I saw that in Rajasthan,” Dravid cautioned Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar on the management of the 15-year-old and asked them to handle Vikas carefully as he begins his international career from Friday.
“I just hope that they’ve supported and helped me on my journey to really be able to achieve that potential.” He added, “You need to protect someone like him, but it’s always going to be OK because sometimes you have to let someone fly.”