Teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi impresses against Jasprit Bumrah in IPL 2026, earning praise from Graeme Smith ahead of Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru clash.
Published: April 9, 2026 9:09 PM IST
IPL 2026: Indian cricket hasn’t seen a teenage sensation capture global attention since the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, but 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi stands in a different league. At just 15 years and 12 days, Sooryavanshi is perfectly suited to the modern T20 format, effortlessly clearing boundaries and dominating the game from the top of the order.
His abilities were put to the ultimate test on Tuesday evening, when Riyan Parag-led Rajasthan Royals faced Mumbai Indians in a high-stakes IPL 2026 clash in Guwahati.
Coming into the match, the teenage sensation had already smashed a total of 68 sixes in 378 T20 deliveries. Sooryavanshi was set to face the world’s premier bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, for the first time. There were questions around how he would handle the intense pressure whether he could read and counter Bumrah’s trademark slower balls and pinpoint yorkers.
Sooryavanshi smashed Bumrah’s delivery straight into the stand
Sooryavanshi made the most of it as he smashed the delivery straight into the stands for a six. The young batter rose to the occasion, passing the test in style by taking on the world’s best bowler and clearing the ropes with
South Africa legend Graeme Smith, who has been closely following the action during the opening weeks of the IPL spoke about Sooryavanshi and said, “As always, it’s interesting to see how the old school superstars like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli perform, but I think this youngster for the Rajasthan Royals, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, is the one to watch in the opening few weeks.
“He has already shown his ability to power it right from ball one. As a young man, he could become a proper superstar over the course of the tournament and I’m really excited to see how he goes.” Smith further said
Rajasthan Royals will next face Royal Challengers Bengaluru on April 10 at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati.
Graeme Sith credited IPL for transforming global cricket landscape
Graeme Smith, who has represented Rajasthan Royals in the inaugural IPL season in 2008, believes the tournament has transformed the global cricket landscape. He also feels the IPL’s success influenced SA20, which revived cricket in South Africa and provided a platform for emerging talent to shine.
“Our six franchises are a huge, integral part of the growth of SA20. We were very fortunate to attract six IPL teams of high quality, and they’re the most experienced franchise owners in the world,” Smith said.
“They are very competitive, they want to win, and they bring in a level of cricket and business excellence across the board, from coaching to medical care. The IPL franchises have brilliant scouts – the talent they find doesn’t always come through the system. When you’re trying to rebuild and grow a cricket ecosystem, to have partners like that is amazing. It’s kind of impossible to compete with the IPL, but we’ve been fortunate that they’ve been very open with us, and helped us build the big blocks in the early phases.”
“We all love Test cricket, but T20 is the growth format. It’s bringing private ownership into the game and we’re seeing the huge valuations now. People around the globe are taking cricket seriously, it’s got a huge number of eyeballs and it’s growing in all the key markets.”
“The interesting thing to see now where it can go is over the next four to five years, with private ownership in the game and the 2028 Olympics coming up.”
