The era of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has begun, says Saba Karim

Saba Karim lauded Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for his explosive 78-run knock, calling it the start of a new era in Indian cricket. Sooryavanshi, only 15, impressed with his maturity and ability to take on top fast bowlers in IPL 2026

New Delhi: Former India wicketkeeper-batsman Saba Karim highlighted the emergence of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who set the pace with an explosive 78-run innings, continuing his impressive performance at the top of the order. Karim stated that the 15-year-old’s ‘era has just begun.’

Currently, the world is abuzz about Sooryavanshi’s ability to face some of the finest fast bowlers without hesitation, helping Rajasthan Royals (RR) achieve fiery starts in the IPL 2026 powerplay. On Friday, bowlers like Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood faced the challenge as Sooryavanshi targeted the experienced RCB duo, scoring 78 runs off 26 balls.

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“This was an astounding display. It feels like the era of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has just begun, and it’s a pleasure to watch him bat. There is an abundance of talent, combined with confident stroke play and a mature approach. He looked equally comfortable against pace and quality spin, with shots all around the wicket. It also seemed like he was building towards a hundred, after his aggressive start in the Powerplay. He began rotating the strike and looking for singles. Unfortunately, it didn’t materialise, but it reflects a very sound mindset,” Karim told JioStar.

Earlier, RCB’s senior pacer Bhuvneshwar had also reserved special praise for Sooryavanshi during the post-match press conference, admitting that he took the game away from RCB in the early stages of the chase.

“It’s a T20 game. Yes, he is young, but he is batting very well and very maturely. We never feel that somebody is trashing us. If a 15-year-old can bat like this, whether he is a 25-year-old or 15-year-old, it’s part of T20 cricket. The way he is hitting shots – he is not slogging, he is playing proper cricket shots. For a 15-year-old, he is too mature. He deserves all the credit for the way he is batting. The way Vaibhav batted in the powerplay, he took the game away from us,” Bhuvneshwar said after the game.