Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continues to make a strong impression on Indian cricket despite being just 15 years old. The teenage batter once again grabbed the spotlight during the Duleep Trophy 2026 semifinal between East Zone and Central Zone at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 1 in Bengaluru. Sooryavanshi played a crucial role in East Zone’s four-wicket victory, scoring 92 runs off 81 balls in the first innings. He followed it up with a valuable 40 in the second innings, helping his team successfully chase down the target and book their place in the final.
His performances have also earned him huge praise from former India captain Kris Srikkanth, who believes the youngster could become one of the biggest stars in world cricket if developed correctly. According to The Statesman, Sooryavanshi became the youngest batter to score a half-century in the Duleep Trophy, reaching the milestone at 15 years and 157 days. He completed his fifty from just 42 balls, breaking Laxman Singh’s previous record of 16 years and 23 days, set in 1969.
“He’s playing outstandingly well. He must be encouraged and never be discouraged. If he’s moulded properly, he’ll be a superstar in the making. He’ll bring Test cricket back to its glory. Everyone watched the Duleep Trophy because of him. Even my wife is watching because of him. He’ll be a big asset going forward for world cricket,” Kris Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
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The 92-run knock was Sooryavanshi’s second first-class half-century. His highest first-class score remains 93, which he made for Bihar against Meghalaya in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 Plate Group. The youngster also made an impact in the Duleep Trophy quarterfinal against North East Zone. He scored eight runs and picked up two wickets for 11 runs with the ball as East Zone secured a massive innings-and-210-run victory.
Srikkanth believes Sooryavanshi has the ability to succeed across formats and is already showing the confidence required to compete against quality bowling.
“He played incredibly well. How can people even doubt whether this boy is capable of playing higher-level cricket? He can play every level of cricket, and he is going to rule world cricket shortly in all formats. He’s smashing medium pacers with no worries for straight sixes in red-ball cricket. He’s toying with the bowlers,” Kris Srikkanth said.
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Sooryavanshi’s rise has not been limited to domestic cricket. He scored 151 runs in three matches against Zimbabwe and won the Player of the Series award as India completed a 3-0 series sweep.
His IPL 2026 campaign with Rajasthan Royals was even more spectacular. The young batter amassed 776 runs at a staggering strike rate of 237.30, including one century and five fifties. He finished as the tournament’s leading run-scorer and smashed 72 sixes, earning the Orange Cap, MVP, Emerging Player, Super Striker and Super Sixes awards.
