Ever since his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut in 2025 for the Rajasthan Royals, young opening batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been going from strength to strength. Following his stint in the T20 tournament, the left-handed batter scored runs for fun in the Youth ODIs against England, Australia and South Africa, and it all culminated with the U19 World Cup win. Sooryavanshi, 14, came into his own in the big final against England, where he smashed 175 runs off 80 balls. His knock blew the wind out of the Three Lions’ sail, and India won the tournament for the record-extending sixth time.
However, Sooryavanshi is not resting on his past laurels and has set his sights on the upcoming IPL 2026. The 19th edition of the tournament will provide a new challenge for the youngster, as the novelty factor has already worn off, and the remaining nine teams will come up with their own plans to keep him down.
The swashbuckling opening batter wants to win the IPL title for his team, and will leave no stone unturned in achieving his dream.
The goal this IPL season is to win the trophy for the team, as it is very important. I want to do well, and my performance will help the whole team. This is my goal — to contribute to RR’s wins and win the trophy for the franchise,” Sooryavanshi said at the BCCI Naman Awards on Sunday night.
Earlier, Sooryavanshi had become the youngest player to sign an IPL contract when Rajasthan Royals picked him up in 2024 for INR 1.1 crore.
Speaking about his journey, Sooryavanshi, who hails from Samastipur, Bihar, said, “When I made my domestic debut, RR had been keeping an eye on me during my domestic and Under-19 games. Their scouting team had been keeping an eye on me for a long time. I felt that I could go to RR because my trial with them had gone very well,” he said.
“I am happy to be with RR, as I have improved a lot too in my life while playing for them,” he added.
Role of Rahul Dravid
Last season, Rahul Dravid was the head coach of the Rajasthan Royals, and under his reign, Sooryavanshi truly flourished when he got a chance in the playing XI after the then-skipper Sanju Samson sustained an injury.
“For any youngster, the first IPL camp is always interesting, and it was the same for me too,” said the 14-year-old.
“Rahul (Dravid) sir was there at that time, so I got to learn a lot from him. There were a lot of senior players in the team, and I had a good learning experience from them during the first camp as well as the first IPL,” he added.
The IPL 2026 will begin on March 28 with the opener between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad. The Rajasthan Royals will play their opening match on March 30 against the Chennai Super Kings.
