In the IPL 2026, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been the top-notch batter of this tournament from the very beginning. The 15-year-old is already at the throne to grab the Orange Cap this year.
Throughout this season, Sooryavanshi has nailed himself setting records of the most IPL sixes (65) in a single season surpassing Chris Gayle's record of 59 sixes. During the Eliminators against SRH, he scored 97 runs off just 29 balls, which exposed his aggressive playstyle, talent and growing stature in the tournament. His talent not only snatched his fans' eyes, but also gained attention and praising from legends like Sachin Tendulkar and Kevin Pietersen.
Justin Langer's heartwarming admiration
The former Australian opener Justin Langer drew spotlight after taking a selfie with young batter during the post-match interaction. The warm gesture made an impactful impression by admiring the teenager across the cricketing world.
Langer recalled a rare admiring moment during the IPL, revealing Vaibhav as one of the two players Langer took selfie with.
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Captioning a LinkedIn post Langer wrote, "Last week I did something I have only done twice in my life. I asked another athlete for a selfie. The first time was for my childhood AFL hero, South Fremantle's Stephen Michael, a couple of years ago at Optus Stadium. The second was a 15-year-old boy from a village in Bihar."
'Never seen before'
Justin Langer wrote about the extraordinary performance of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the IPL 2026. He is overwhelmed by the electrifying performance of the youngster despite being 15 years old.
Justin Langer’s LinkedIn post
— Cricketopia (@CricketopiaCom) May 28, 2026
Last week I did something I have only done twice in my life. I asked another athlete for a selfie.
The first time was for my childhood AFL hero, South Fremantle’s Stephen Michael, a couple of years ago at Optus Stadium.
The second was a… pic.twitter.com/LDnpItaRY8
Taking to Hindustan Times he said, “Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had just smashed my Lucknow Super Giants to every part of the ground. He has hit 53 sixes this IPL season — the second most by any batter in any T20 tournament in history, behind only Chris Gayle. He is the youngest centurion in men's T20 cricket. He is 15. After 35 years in the game, I simply can't believe how this kid plays. He is nothing like I have seen before. He did it again last night in the play off Final. It got me thinking about talent — the word we use most often and understand least."
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He also drew contrast regarding Vaibhav's rise in India, alongside reflecting on another emerging star from Australia.
"Last weekend while Vaibhav was tearing up India, a 38-year-old in Melbourne named Scott Pendlebury was about to play his 433rd game and break the all-time VFL/ AFL record. Two athletes. Two continents. Two completely different definitions of the same word. I wrote about both of them this week for The Nightly. Which version of talent moves you more — the gift, or the craft?" he concluded.
