The wonder kid Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has once again taken the Indian Premier League (IPL) by storm, producing skilful performances match after match and plundering the high-profile bowlers without an iota of fear. In the ongoing season of the IPL, Sooryavanshi has already banked up 583 runs in 14 matches at a marvellous strike rate of 232.27, having also played several memorable knocks.
During the start of the tournament, Sooryavanshi announced himself with a 15-ball half-century, with Rajasthan Royals sealing a superb eight-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings. It has been an extraordinary run of performances from Sooryavanshi since coming into the league. Furthermore, his red-hot form has been instrumental in taking RR into the IPL 2026 playoff.
Meanwhile, former India cricketer Subramaniam Badrinath recently chose his best XII from the IPL 2026 league stage. In his line-up, Badrinath overlooked the likes of great batters like Virat Kohli and KL Rahul but picked the teen sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Notably, Virat Kohli has piled up 557 runs in 14 innings, maintaining a strike rate of 163.82.
Looking at his playing XII, in the batting department, Badrinath went with the opening pair of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Shubman Gill to open the innings, preferring Sai Sudharsan at No. 3 and Heinrich Klaasen at No. 4. He picked Rajat Patidar to be at No. 5.
In the form of all-rounders, Badrinath included Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Krunal Pandya and Kolkata Knight Riders' Sunil Narine. He also went with Rashid Khan to strengthen the spin attack.
In the bowling unit, Badrinath went with promising names – Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jofra Archer, and Kagiso Rabada. In his other pace option, he added Kartik Tyagi or Prince Yadav. CSK spinner Akeal Hosein featured as the impact sub in Badrinath's XII.
S Badrinath's IPL 2026 XII: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Heinrich Klaasen, Rajat Patidar, Krunal Pandya, Sunil Narine, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jofra Archer, Kagiso Rabada, Prince Yadav/Kartik Tyagi Impact
Sub: Akeal Hosein