Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is the biggest breakout star of IPL 2026.The teenager from Rajasthan Royals has been the talking point ever since and has already achieved various records at just 15 years of age, with his fear-less attitude against all the bowlers.
The young opener has already registered 680 runs in 15 games with an outstanding strike rate of 242. His exceptional performance in the competition has been one of the most important reasons for RR reaching qualifier 2.
After the amazing performances of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, a lot of fans and experts have raised concerns for a place for him in India's T20I squad, however, after the successful IPL season of the teenager the BCCI will take time before giving him a national debut.
3 Reasons Why Vaibhav Should Not Be Rushed in India’s T20I Squad
India Already Has a Settled T20I Opening Pair
The foremost reason for the selection of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to be delayed is India's established T20I opening pair. Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma were recently victorious in the T20 World Cup 2026 and are a successful pair at the top of the order. Both players complimented each other really well in the tournament and provided crucial runs.
Indian management has worked for so long on a settled T20I combination that giving an international debut and changing the pair after a World cup win would not be the correct step. It might be just a matter of time before the youngster gets a place in the national T20I side.
One Brilliant IPL Season May Not be Enough
No doubt, he has displayed immense talent and promise but many talented players have also had one glorious IPL season only to fall short in subsequent seasons. Sooryavanshi needs to show this kind of consistency for a prolonged period of time for the BCCI selectors to even consider his candidature for the Indian squad, considering he is still very young.
There is plenty of time for Sooryavanshi, as he is only 15 years of age to improve himself on various aspects of his game. For now, he will look to lead Rajasthan Royals to the play-offs in IPL 2026.
Fielding Remains a Concern
Barring his batting prowess, the Rajasthan Royals batter’s fielding has been one of his major weaknesses. He has been largely used as an impact player for RR in IPL 2026; he has opened the innings when the Royals have batted first and has later been replaced while if RR are fielding, then he has mostly stayed outside, only to be brought in later. RR has found an innovative way of mitigating the effect of his weaknesses on the field.
However, since there is no impact player rule in the international game and fielding is one of the essential elements there where the level of play is much higher than in the franchise competition, it might be problematic for the youngster at the highest level. Sooryavanshi has grassed catches in IPL and this is one aspect which the international players can exploit.