There have now been two occasions this season when Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has claimed the Orange Cap. Yet, on both nights, he perhaps possessed an even more precious cap — one he has proudly worn for most of this IPL season.
On April 10, when Rajasthan Royals hosted Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Guwahati, the 15-year-old smashed a 15-ball fifty, equalling his own record for the joint second-fastest half-century in IPL history, which he had earlier set against Chennai Super Kings this season. His eventual 78 off 26 balls helped Rajasthan beat the defending champions and also took him to the top of the Orange Cap standings.
But that night also marked the moment he received perhaps the most valuable cricket memorabilia of his life so far. Following a post-match conversation with Virat Kohli, the India icon signed Sooryavanshi’s cap and left a note that read: “Dear Vaibhav, well done.”
Since then, Sooryavanshi has often been spotted wearing that cap in the RR dugout on matchdays. The same scene unfolded again on Tuesday night in Jaipur. After Rajasthan defeated Lucknow Super Giants in a last-over thriller to secure their first home win of the season and stay alive in the playoff race, Sooryavanshi was once again seen wearing Kohli’s signed cap.
As cameras followed him during the post-match proceedings — chatting with teammates and even LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka — the cap remained firmly on his head throughout.
However, as he walked up to collect his third Player of the Match award of the season, he was finally forced to swap it for the Orange Cap.
A mature masterclass of 93 off just 38 balls helped him become the tournament’s leading run-scorer once again, taking his tally to 579 runs in 13 innings at a staggering strike rate of 236.32.
During the innings, Sooryavanshi became the youngest batter ever to score 500 runs in a single IPL season, surpassing Rishabh Pant’s 2018 record. He also became the youngest player to hit 50 sixes in an IPL edition. The teenager now has 53 maximums this season, just seven short of breaking Chris Gayle’s record of 60 sixes from 2012, with Rajasthan still having one league game remaining.
‘My focus should just remain on the game’
Sooryavanshi has undoubtedly been the breakout star of IPL 2026, with the teenager unleashing carnage against some of the best bowlers in world cricket. Across the cricketing world, discussions around the IPL somehow keep circling back to the 15-year-old and the extraordinary things he has achieved this season.
Yet despite all the attention and hype, the left-handed batter has managed to stay grounded.
“I don’t really see too much, I don’t read newspapers and all, so I don’t think too much about it. I just think that this is only the start. If my career becomes long and I play for a long time, people will say many more things. My focus should just remain on the game and I should complete my journey,” he said in the post-match interaction, with those words reflecting maturity far beyond his age.
