Not just the cricketing fraternity, Vaibhav Suryavanshi has extended his fanbase to even the elite politicians in the country with Shashi Tharoor, who stated that he drops everything just to watch the 15-year-old bat.
Having come to the limelight with a hundred in IPL 2025, there was no stopping for Suryavanshi. The Bihar lad continued the same momentum in 2026.
After his 15-ball fifty against Chennai Super Kings, Suryavanshi repeated the same on Friday against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Chasing RCB's 202/4, the Rajasthan Royals opener laid the platform with his knock of 78 off just 26 balls, that included some brutal hitting against the likes of Josh Hazlweood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Following the departure of Yashasvi Jaiswal cheaply, Suryavanshi along with Dhruv Jurel rescued Rajasthan Royals with a second wicket stand of 108 runs off just 37 balls to take the game away from RCB. Such was the domination of Suryavanshi, Rajasthan Royals finished the powerplay at 97/1.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter) Tharoor wrote his heart out for Suryavanshi after he was caught by Virat Kohli. "Ah! @Vaibhavsooryava is just out, caught by @imVkohli. May as well start doing other things now, like tweeting!," said the Member of Parliament from Congress.
"It is truly a marvel to witness the meteoric rise of young Sooryavanshi. Watching this 15-year-old phenom at the crease is a masterclass in the evolution of the game," Tharoor added in his post, before adding that Suryavanshi's bat speed and raw power is nothing short of breathtaking.
"The sheer bat speed he generates, coupled with an almost supernatural sense of timing and raw power, is nothing short of breathtaking. He isn't just playing cricket; he is fundamentally redefining the art of batting for a new generation," added the 70-year-old.
"Whenever he takes strike, the world outside simply ceases to exist: I find myself dropping everything just to catch every delivery. We are watching a rare, generational talent unfold before our eyes. Truly exhilarating!"
Rajasthan Royals win four in four
Blistering fifties by Suryavanshi and Jurel powered Rajasthan Royals to a six-wicket win over RCB with two overs to spare to consolidate their top position in the IPL 2026 Points Table. Sent in to bat, RCB rode on a fighting half-century by skipper Rajat Patidar (63) to post 201/8.
Virat Kohli (32), Romario Shepherd (22) and Venkatesh Iyer (29) also chipped in with useful contributions. In reply, Suryavanshi and Jurel (81 not out off 43 balls) shared a match-winning stand. Krunal Pandya (2/30) tried to bring them back with back-to-back wickets.
But Jurel, in the company of Ravindra Jadeja (24), completed the task with another 68-run stand, with two overs to spare. For Rajasthan Royals, Jofra Archer, Ravi Bishnoi and Brijesh Sharma took two wickets each.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi leads in Orange Cap list
With this knock of 78, Suryavanshi toppled senior teammate Yashasvi Jaiswal and went atop the IPL 2026 Orange Cap list. Currently, Suryavanshi has 200 runs in four matches, with Jaiswal at second with 183 runs. Fellow Dhruv Jurel, after his 81 not out, rose to the third spot with 173 runs. Delhi Capitals' Sameer Rizvi is placed four with 160 runs from three games.
Catch the live updates from IPL 2026 with the complete IPL 2026 Schedule and the IPL 2026 Points Table. Also, know who are currently leading the charts in IPL 2026 Orange Cap and IPL 2026 Purple Cap.