Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's IPL success with Rajasthan Royals makes 15-year-old a ‘case study’ at a top B-school in India
With 776 runs at a strike rate of 237.30, Sooryavanshi left behind the likes of Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli in terms of runs in IPL 2026 to grab the Orange Cap. He 72 sixes in IPL 2026 also saw him surpassing previous record holder Chris Gayle for most sixes in a season.
At 15 years, Vaibhav Sooryvanshi has already made a name for himself globally. From being the youngest to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) to youngest centurion in the world's richest franchise league to becoming the youngest to win an Orange Cap, there is nothing more the Rajasthan Royals batter could have asked for in his first two seasons at the top level.
With 776 runs at a strike rate of 237.30, Sooryavanshi left behind the likes of Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli in terms of runs in IPL 2026 and eclipsed legendary Chris Gayle (59) for most sixes in a season, with 72 hits. After a prolific season, the left-hander has become a subject for case study at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Indore.
According to a PTI report, the IIM Indore has decided to study Sooryavanshi to understand what drive the Bihar cricketer as such a young stage by inviting him to their centre of research.
“We want to understand what factors drive the extraordinary performance of child prodigies. Personality, behaviour, and practice patterns, along with the support of parents, teachers, coaches, and seniors, are crucial for such performance,” IIM Indore Director Himanshu Rai told PTI.
“In our study, we also want to look at how to deal with such expectations or obstacles,” added Rai.
Sachin Tendulkar's observations on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Meanwhile, soon after IPL 2026 came to an end, legendary Sachin Tendulkar praised Sooryavanshi and observed his impact beyond runs. Tendulkar noted that the teenager influenced games with his presence and intent, and added belief to the Rajasthan Royals setup during key knockout matches.
“Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had an influence on games that went beyond the runs he scored. Oppositions were thinking about him, teams were planning for him, and fans were waiting for him long before he arrived at the crease,” Tendulkar said in a post on Reddit.
"His ability to score rapidly in both the Eliminator and the Qualifier showed that his intent remained unchanged, even as the pressure increased. More importantly, his batting seemed to give Rajasthan Royals an added sense of belief every time he walked out to the middle," the Indian legend wrote.
Former India pacer Arul Wassan also saw a glimpse of young Tendulkar in Sooryavanshi. “He is a one in a million generational talent. Can you imagine the maturity and audacity of this boy? He reminds me of 16-year-old Sachin Tendulkar," Wassan told PTI.
“I saw Sachin and that game maturity and audacity to take the bull by the horns (during the 1989 tour of Pakistan). God has blessed him with X factor along with the game & power,” Wassan added.
What's next for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi?
with just little time to recover, Sooryavanshi has once again hit the road, this time for India A for a tri-nation series involving Afghanistan A and Sri Lanka A in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, from June 9 to June 21. Not to forget, it was Sooryavanshi's 175 off 80 balls that propelled India to U19 World Cup 2026 title, beating England in the final at the start of the year.
India A squad for tri-nation series
Tilak Varma (c), Priyansh Arya, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Riyan Parag (vc), Ayush Badoni, Nishant Sindhu, Harsh Dubey, Suryansh Shedge, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Kumar Kushagra (wk), Vipraj Nigam, Yash Thakur, Yudhvir Singh, Anshul Kamboj, Arshad Khan.