Teenage star Vaibhav Sooryavanshi enjoyed a greatly successful Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, plundering 776 runs at a strike rate of 237.30, involving a century and five half-centuries. The fearless kid remained in scorching form throughout the season, slamming the fastest century of the season and taking on the world-class bowlers with ease.
He also starred in the Eliminator against SRH, which is captained by Pat Cummins, with an exceptional 97 off 29 balls to help Rajasthan Royals secure a 47-run victory. In the same match, he took liking to experienced pacer Cummins, hitting him for three consecutive sixes.
Though, RR failed to make the final after going down against Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2, Sooryavanshi capped off the season on a brilliant note. Now, praising the wonder kid, Australia captain Cummins lauded Vaibhav's hitting ability and joked that he wishes Sooryavanshi was still in school.
"He's a talent. He hits the ball a long way, he hits very hard. Margins for error are very small. He's a real talent, pretty tough to bowl to," Cummins said while speaking on Fox Cricket.
"Wishing he was in high school, so I didn't have to bowl at him. It's just incredible. Like, I don't think I've seen batting like that, let alone from a 15-year-old kid. Whether he's 30 or 15, he's just a very good hitter of the ball," Cummins said.
In the Eliminator, Cummins was the most expensive bowler, conceding 64 runs off his four overs. On the other hand, Sooryavanshi had blasted his second-highest individual score of the season, firing 12 sixes and five fours, taking Rajasthan to 243/8 in 20 overs. Chasing the target, SRH had been bowled out for 196 in 19.2 overs.