The 15-year-old opener hit 39 off 14 balls as Rajasthan Royals made it 150-3 in 11 overs against Mumbai Indians.
Published April 8, 2026
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been hailed as ‘fantastic’ and ‘fearless’ after highlighting his rare talent with a bold performance against Indian superstar bowler Jasprit Bumrah in the IPL.
Rajasthan Royals opener Sooryavanshi played against Mumbai Indians’ 32-year-old pacer Bumrah for the first time on Tuesday and immediately hit a six over the wide long-on fence.
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Bumrah smiled as he returned to his run-up and three balls later, the precocious teenage batsman took another pull shot, sending it deep over backward square leg.
In the 11-over match in Guwahati, which was shortened due to rain, Sooryavanshi smashed 39 off 14 balls to score 80 runs with opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal, who scored an unbeaten 77, as Rajasthan won by 27 runs.
Mumbai captain Hardik Pandya said it was “very interesting” to watch Sooryavanshi play against one of the world’s best bowlers.
“It’s great to see the way he bats, his fearlessness and the type of shots he takes,” Pandya said.
Sooryavanshi played against New Zealander Trent Boult, another senior pace bowler, and smashed an attempted yorker into the crowd at backward square leg.
His knock was cut short by a brilliant catch by Tilak Verma in the deep after another big hit attempt from Shardul Thakur.
Angry with himself, Sooryavanshi covered his face, screamed, and trudged back to the pavilion.
Jaiswal, who is also a left-hander, watched the impact from the other side, fascinated.
“The way he’s played is phenomenal,” said Player of the Match Jaiswal.
“He’s working really hard too, so that’s motivating me too. OK, I need to develop some different shots as well.”
“If he’s playing against somebody, I’m going to keep sending him a positive message that you can go after him and you can play whatever you want.”
Jaiswal, 24, said he doesn’t need to play the big brother.
“He’s great, he understands the game very well. He’s very capable of doing it himself. He enjoys his game and he’s playing incredibly well.”
Sooryavanshi had a brilliant debut season in the IPL last year, breaking records with a 35-ball century, the second-fastest in the history of the T20 tournament.
He started the tournament with a score in the 50s, living up to high expectations, and was praised by former cricketers, including spin legend Anil Kumble, who said the prodigy should be included in India’s senior national team soon.
Sooryavanshi has already distinguished himself at the youth international level, smashing 175 off just 80 balls as India defeated England in the Under-19 World Cup final in February.
