Sooryavanshi ready for India call-up says Kumar Sangakkara
Rajasthan Royals head coach Kumar Sangakkara believes 15-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is ready for the national team.
New Chandigarh: Rajasthan Royals head coach Kumar Sangakkara believes that young prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is ready for a national call-up following a remarkable IPL 2026 campaign that established him as one of the best young cricketers to have ever graced the game.
The 15-year-old ended the season with an astonishing 776 runs in 16 games, striking at an incredible rate of 237.30, which helped Rajasthan reach Qualifier 2 before they were beaten by Gujarat Titans in New Chandigarh on Saturday.
After watching the teenager pummel some of the best bowlers in the world, Sangakkara feels that an India call-up is now a matter of when, not if.
“Given what Vaibhav has done this season against some of the greatest fast bowlers the world has, I think he is more than ready to take on whatever challenge we throw at him,” Sangakkara said following the team’s loss to Gujarat. “I am certain that he will get a national call-up very, very soon. He has played with great maturity and shouldered the responsibility of the opening partnership quite well for us this season.”
Sooryavanshi showed his true temperament yet again during Qualifier 2, hammering an outstanding 96 off just 47 balls on a tricky, two-paced wicket.
His ability to adapt to challenging circumstances against some of the tallest and most intimidating fast bowlers in world cricket—who targeted him with the short ball—ensured that Rajasthan posted a fighting total in the Qualifier 2 encounter, despite wickets falling regularly at the other end.
Sangakkara attributes the youngster’s tremendous rise to his approach to the game and high cricketing intelligence.
“Yes, I think that we’ve got a plan for him,” Sangakkara explained. “We’re not cluttering his mind at all. He comes into our team meetings, contributes and listens, and does a lot of homework. He practices well, watches a lot of videos of opposition bowlers, and prepares for them accordingly. We’re not trying to plant anything extra in his mind. I think he just has to keep it clear and bat with that same courage.”
Rajasthan exceeded expectations to reach the playoffs after finishing in ninth position last season. They managed to repeat their playoff success this year despite severe injury setbacks, including losing Sam Curran for the season and late-tournament fitness issues for Riyan Parag and Ravindra Jadeja.
Sangakkara also praised the performances of the emerging players in the Rajasthan squad, calling on debutants Yash Raj Punja and Brijesh Sharma to build on their impressive first season.
“I think every one of these players has performed very well and they should be extremely proud of themselves,” he said. “I think Yash had an amazing season and Brijesh also had a very good season, but I want to give credit to everyone around them, from Riyan to Dhruv—Dhruv always gets underrated sometimes—and then Donovan, Jofra, Jadeja in some parts, and Shubham in a couple of games for us. Everyone who came in always gave their best. To be able to achieve a playoff spot this season, having finished ninth last year, and to drag ourselves here is a great achievement. I don’t think there is any question we’ve still got a long way to go with these players, but I’m very, very proud of them. They’re a truly wonderful bunch, highly skilled, and they worked very hard to get us here. They are a very special team.”
Sangakkara also complimented Riyan Parag on his debut season as captain of the Rajasthan Royals.
“I think Riyan’s first season as captain has been phenomenal,” Sangakkara stated. “He has handled the team well and managed on-field decisions well; that is something that will grow and develop with all the players, Riyan himself, and the management team around him. He will just come back stronger, and we will all come back stronger.
“No one really gave us an opportunity, or rather, we weren’t even given a chance to qualify at the start of this tournament. But this just shows what cricket can do to you; if you play well and have fun playing this game, you’re going to perform quite special things.”