New Delhi: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s jaw-dropping 776-run season in IPL 2026 has captured the attention of not just the Indian selectors, who have named him in the squads for the Ireland and England T20Is, but also former players. Sachin Tendulkar has repeatedly praised the teenager. Ex-South Africa seamer Dale Steyn was also stunned by the left-hander’s prolific scoring.A gung-ho Steyn believes Sooryavanshi has it in him to go even better than Tendulkar and Virat Kohli. “Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is different gravy, man,” he said when asked if any up-and-coming Proteas player could match the level of Sooryavanshi. “He’s better than most international players right now. He is a boy wonder, a treasure for India cricket,” he added during an interaction facilitated by SA20 in the lead-up to Season 5.“You think of guys like Sachin, you think of guys like Virat, and this kid is going to explode. He’s going to be bigger than both of them put together at the end of his career,” he continued.ALSO READ | At 15, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi isn’t just scoring runs — he’s redefining battingYet, with Sooryavanshi potentially set to make his international debut and better Tendulkar’s 37-year-old record, the former seamer suggested that he be handled with caution.“I would caution how you manage him and how you look after him because with great responsibility comes great reward. But there’s a big threat there that you could lose him at some point if you don’t look after him well enough,” said Steyn, who played for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Deccan Chargers and Gujarat Lions in the IPL.
You think of guys like Sachin, you think of guys like Virat, and this kid is going to explode. He is going to be bigger than both of them put together
Dale Steyn on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Many bowlers tried, and failed, to get the better of Sooryavanshi over the course of the IPL season. The Rajasthan Royals opener blitzed to 776 runs from 16 matches at an average of 48.50 at a rate of 237.30. With 72 sixes, he broke Chris Gayle’s record for most maximums in an IPL season.So, how do you stop him? No better than Steyn — who took 699 wickets across Tests, ODIs and T20Is — to answer that. The 42-year-old acknowledged he didn’t watch enough of Sooryavanshi to devise a game plan but found Kagiso Rabada’s strategy most suitable.“I think KG (Rabada) bowled well to him, where you test him up here,” he said while pointing to his brain. “You’ve got to test him up upstairs. He’s still young. He’s only 14, and if you can throw a little bit of fear factor into the game, cricket is a fear factor game. If you go into the game scared, if you’re fearing somebody, just fear bowling to them or fear facing them, it can make you do silly things. It can make your mind do silly things. So the short ball towards him is a good option,” explained Steyn.‘If it ain’t broke, why fix it?’
Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) players thank their fans the Orange Army during match 29 of the SA20 season 4 between Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) and MI Cape Town (MICT) held at St George’s Park. (Sportzpics)
Steyn repeatedly advocated for the growth of fan culture during the SA20, where not just the teams but the fan culture has also improved during the previous four seasons.St George’s Park, home of the Sunrisers Eastern Cape, is one of the most well-supported grounds, said Steyn. He also spoke highly of Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, all trying to outdo the other.With that in mind, he doesn’t think moving a game to India, for example, like the Big Bash League (BBL) is intending to, will be a wise move.“I would feel harsh to rob the South Africans of one game. The Indians have got the IPL. It’s the biggest competition. So for them to go and watch a Big Bash game, I’m sure they’ll go and watch it, but they’re spoiled with the IPL; they’ve got enough cricket.
Pretoria Capitals players celebrate during Match 28 of the SA20 Season 4 at the Wanderers Cricket Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Sportzpics for SA20)
“To give them another game, while taking it away from the South Africans. When the support in South Africa has been so crucial, would be just shooting yourself in the foot.“Maybe what we should look at, in terms of the world, and I don’t know if it’s possible again, but how about the Champions League T20, where it was the best teams from around the world, and you play together in a short tournament. You can play that in India because the TV and the Indian support is crazy. That, I would say, is a more viable option going forward.“Maybe the Big Bash is suffering a slow death, and they’re just trying to rejuvenate the competition. I think the players will enjoy it, playing in Chennai. (But) I don’t think that would be an option for the SA20. I think it’s doing really well in South Africa and as there’s a saying, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
