Rajasthan Royals (RR) bowling coach Shane Bond is quite impressed with how Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has turned out so far in IPL 2026.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi picked up from where he left off in IPL 2025, as he began the IPL 2026 season with a 17-ball knock of 52 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the first match.
He followed it up with an 18-ball 31 against Gujarat Titans (GT) before slamming 39 runs from 14 balls against Mumbai Indians (MI) in a rain-shortened match in Guwahati.
Vaibhav made his IPL debut last year in Rajasthan Royals' match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), and by doing so, he became the youngest-ever IPL debutant at just 14 years old.
He slammed a 35-ball century against Gujarat Titans last year, and ended the season with 252 runs from seven matches.
Shane Bond impressed by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
“It hasn’t just been reckless hitting,” Bond said ahead of Rajasthan Royals' clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Guwahati on Thursday. "He has seen out the good balls, picked the balls to hit," he added.
“And there is growth with a little bit of stubble,” stated the former New Zealand pacer. Bond was impressed with how Vaibhav has matured as a cricketer within just one year of making his IPL debut.
“He is obviously looking a little bit older than he did last year. I would never have those expectations of him at such a young age. But the way he has managed so much cricket — churning out runs, bringing energy and wanting to come to training — it is remarkable," he opined.
The Riyan Parag-led side have got off to a perfect start in IPL 2026, winning all three of their matches so far. They currently lead the IPL 2026 standings with six points from three matches, whereas RCB, who are also unbeaten, have four points from two matches.
