At the age of just 15 years, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has made a name for himself. The southpaw showed glimpses of brilliance in the Indian Premier League 2025 and performed even better this season, becoming the top scorer of the edition.
Sooryavanshi scored 776 runs in 16 matches, winning the Orange Cap ahead of the likes of Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan. What makes the teenager special is his exceptional stroke play. He has even smashed some of the best international bowlers for fun in the IPL, and his thrashing of the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Pat Cummins is a telling example of Sooryavanshi’s brilliance.
On Wednesday, Rajasthan Royals shared a video on social media in which Sooryavanshi came up with a confident remark when asked if he feared facing any bowler.
“One bowler you would not want to bat against?” was the question asked to Sooryavanshi.
He replied, “No one till now.”
The four-word reply speaks volumes about Sooryavanshi’s self-belief, which has earned him a massive fan following at the age of just 15 years.
Teenage prodigy Sooryavanshi has been appointed vice-captain of the Ishan Kishan-led East Zone squad for the upcoming Duleep Trophy starting next month.
While the squad was predictably dominated by players from Bengal and Jharkhand, Sooryavanshi’s elevation as vice-captain on his debut in a red-ball zonal tournament is an indication that he is being groomed as an all-format player.
Sooryavanshi is the only player from Bihar in the squad.
Veteran pacer Mohammed Shami, internationals Mukesh Kumar and Shahbaz Ahmed, and former India A skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran are all part of the zonal squad.
The meeting was held at Eden Gardens, and the zonal selectors also met CAB president Sourav Ganguly.
Apart from skipper Kishan, Jharkhand has India A players Kumar Kushagra and Anukul Roy.
Bihar Cricket Association president Harsh Vardhan said, “At such a young age, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi becoming the vice-captain of the East Zone team is a matter of immense pride for Bihar cricket.
“Through his outstanding performances and mature approach to the game, he has earned the trust of the selectors.”
The tournament is slated to be held from August 23 to September 6 at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.