Former India cricketer Robin Uthappa believes teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi may face a tougher challenge in the upcoming Indian Premier League 2026 season. While acknowledging the youngster’s immense talent, Uthappa suggested that the 15-year-old might find it difficult to replicate the extraordinary success he enjoyed during his breakout campaign last year.
Sooryavanshi stunned the cricketing world when he debuted for Rajasthan Royals at just 14 years of age. The left-handed batter quickly made headlines by scoring 252 runs in the season at a remarkable strike rate of 206.55, the highest in the league. His most memorable knock came against the Gujarat Titans, where he smashed a breathtaking 35-ball century against one of the tournament’s strongest bowling attacks.
Over the past year, the Bihar-born prodigy has continued to build his reputation across multiple platforms. He played a key role in India’s triumph at the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup and has also begun representing various domestic teams from Bihar, gaining valuable exposure at different competitive levels. However, Uthappa believes opposition teams are now studying his game more closely and could adapt their strategies accordingly.
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“I have been keenly observing every game Vaibhav has played over the last 12 months. He is phenomenal,” Robin Uthappa said while speaking on television. “But if you watch him bat carefully, I feel he is riding his luck a little bit. When the standard gets higher, and bowlers figure out where to bowl to him, things might get tougher,” he added.
Uthappa further suggested that the element of surprise that once worked in Sooryavanshi’s favour may no longer be as effective.
“The novelty has worn off now. This season could be a learning curve for him. He will still score runs, but I don’t think he will dominate the way he did last year,” he explained.
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However, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan offered a contrasting view and expressed confidence in the young batter’s consistency.
“I think he will continue performing. He has maintained his form even after the IPL in other tournaments, which gives me confidence,” Irfan Pathan said. The former pacer even predicted that the youngster could produce another explosive knock in the upcoming season, possibly another rapid half-century or even a century.
