Since last night Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been the toast of the town. After his 26-ball 78 for Rajasthan Royals that saw them beat defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Guwahati, the media outlets all over the world are replete with eulogies for him. There is no doubt he deserves every bit of it. However, his red-hot form has given rise to massive competition among Indian batsmen, especially openers, in the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL).
On Saturday, first Abhishek Sharma smashed a 28-ball 74 against Punjab Kings to shift some of the spotlight on himself in New Chandigarh. The left-hander hit five boundaries and eight sixes. As if he was aware of what former Pakistan player Tanvir Ahmed predicted about how he was soon to be forgotten with the rise of Sooryavanshi.
Later in the game, Punjab Kings’ Priyansh Arya also made a massive statement of intent. Yesterday, Sooryavanshi took 15 balls for his fifty and Arya took just one more. He eventually fell for a 20-ball 57 with the help of five fours and five sixes but he asserted himself big time. As if he wanted to say to fans, “Arre Hum Bhai Race Main.”
Bold claims by former Pakistani pacer!
Earlier, Tanvir made some really bold claims. “When Sooryavanshi plays for India, people will forget Abhishek Sharma. And when both will be batting together, Abhishek won’t come even close to Sooryavanshi. People won’t even notice Abhishek. Everyone will be looking at Sooryavanshi. On your TV screen, you wouldn’t even notice Abhishek,” the 47-year-old, who represented Pakistan in five Tests, 2 ODIs and one T20I, said on a TV show.
It’s a good thing there is so much competition for a place in the Indian team. Last season, like Sooryavanshi, Arya scored a blistering IPL century that made him a household name. However, we haven’t heard much from him since. He did spend some time with Yuvraj Singh though, and learnt the tricks of power-hitting. Many have done that in the last few months.
Before Saturday’s match, Arya’s output in IPL 2026 was not exactly great. In three matches, with one being a washout against Kolkata Knight Riders, he had scored just 46 runs at an average of 23.
His innings had put PBKS on course for another victory to all intents and purposes. At the time of writing this article, PBKS were on the verge of winning their third game.
It’s heating up in the IPL this season, it has to be said. A sub-standard T20 World Cup campaign for Abhishek has largely been the reason. It appears he has been alerted to the current dynamics as to how a poor IPL can really hurt his international career.
