Vaibhav Suryavanshi of Rajasthan Royals (ANI photo)

Vaibhav Suryavanshi has dominated IPL 2026 with his fearless batting at the top, creating explosive starts almost every time he comes on the field. Rajasthan Royals. The 15-year-old hasn’t always converted those starts into big scores, but his impact in the powerplay has consistently set the stage for RR innings. Suryavanshi has now scored 486 runs in 12 matches this season, which includes one century and two half-centuries. Their aggressive intent has regularly taken Rajasthan past 60 runs in the first six overs, giving their middle order a strong platform to build on. He once again made a strong impact against Delhi Capitals and scored 46 off just 21 balls as RR reached 75/1 at the end of the powerplay in another high-tempo start. In the process, the 15-year-old opener overtook Abhishek SharmaThe previous record of 42 sixes in IPL 2024 and now alone tops this season with 43 sixes. The milestone highlighted the fearless batting approach that has turned Suryavanshi into one of the biggest stars of IPL 2026. Speaking during the broadcast, RR head coach Kumar Sangakkara praised the young player’s intent and said the team is focusing more on his impact than conversion rates. Sangakkara said, “Not much but 30 runs should be taken on any given day, especially the pace at which he gets them. Yes, he has not continued as much as we would like or he would like. But I think the fact that he is hitting the ball well, he is giving us really fast starts, and we have six to seven other batsmen who can really keep the pressure on and build on those partnerships.” He said that Suryavanshi’s biggest strength is his natural approach towards batting. He said, “The most exciting thing is how he looks at batting. He looks at it the way we all should look at it as a 15-year-old kid. He loves it, he bats for long periods of time and that’s the most exciting thing. He really reads the game as well, so it’s not just random hitting with him.” Sangakkara also stressed that RR should avoid overloading him with technical instructions. “She’s very curious, but I’m very careful not to have too long conversations with her. He just needs to rest and bat. If we talk, it is about things other than cricket. A few things here and there, but I like to leave him alone to enjoy what he does.” On preparation, Sangakkara revealed that conversations in the nets are more about reading situations than technical improvements. “In the nets, those are the things we really talk about. When he practices, we chat to him about what the bowlers can do, and he has an idea of ​​what they can do with them – short balls, swinging yorkers. So we’ll practice them a little bit, but the most we tell him is just to commit. Whatever you do and decide to do, you have to be 100% committed to that choice,” he explained. When Sangakkara was asked whether he plays an advisory or father-like role, he clearly said that Suryavanshi does not need that level of intervention. He said, “No, no. He doesn’t need it at all. He’s a much better player than me, so he needs a little help but not too much.”