Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the current toast of the town, on Sunday finally opened up on receiving a pep talk from none other than Virat Kohli after the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 final between the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and the Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. After RCB’s second title win on the bounce, the cameras picked up Kohli approaching Sooryavanshi for a small chat.
The RCB and India stalwart lauded the youngster for having a fantastic season, where he smashed seasoned bowlers around, hammering 776 runs in total at a strike rate of 237.31. This phenomenal performance also led to Sooryavanshi earning a maiden senior India call-up, and he will be on the flight for the upcoming series against Ireland and England.
Speaking about his chat with Kohli, Sooryavanshi, the 15-year-old, said that a dream came true for him when he got to speak to the former India captain.
“I was a fan of RCB before. Actually, I was a big fan of Virat Kohli. When Virat bhaiya placed his hand on my shoulder like that and when he was talking to me, it actually felt like a dream come true,” said Sooryavanshi in an interview with the Rajasthan Royals team manager Romi Bhinder.
“The way he spoke, it didn’t seem that he was Virat Kohli. He was talking to me like an elder brother, the way he explained things and the way he told me things. He told me what I need to do and what focus I should have,” he added.
What Kohli said to Sooryavanshi
Earlier, a video shared by RCB’s official handle had opened the lid on the conversation between Kohli and Sooryavanshi. The senior statesman advised the teen sensation to keep up with the good work and go from strength to strength.
“You have to go even higher from here. Whatever you have achieved is because of your hard work and self-belief. Do not pay attention to who is saying what or how they are saying it,” Kohli told Sooryavanshi. The former marked the end of the conversation by saying, “Ek bihari sab pe bhari.”
The IPL 2026 also saw the Rajasthan Royals’ opener breaking Chris Gayle’s record for most sixes in a single edition of the tournament. Sooryavanshi won five awards in total for his performance in the competition, including the Orange Cap, Most Valuable Player and Super Striker.
Sooryavanshi had earlier begun 2026 with a bang, smashing 175 runs in the U19 World Cup final against England. He was then expected to have trouble in the IPL due to the second-season blues. However, the teen sensation went from where he left off last season, dominating world-class bowlers like nobody’s business.
He hammered Jasprit Bumrah for a six off the first ball he faced against the experienced pacer in the IPL. The same treatment was meted out to tried-and-tested bowlers like Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Speaking about winning the Orange Cap, the youngster said, “Whenever I used to watch the IPL, I used to see the Orange Cap. I used to think, “Let me touch it once and see how it feels.” Now I have won it, it feels very good, and that’s why I always pray to God.”
