Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli outshined!! Graeme Smith stunned by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s fearless hitting

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has seen many young talents over the years, but this season, one name is making much more loud noise, and he is none other than the 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi from Rajasthan Royals.

The teenage sensation once again stole the spotlight against Mumbai Indians, and former South African captain Graeme Smith couldn’t stop praising the RR opener. Smith believes that IPL is the reason the cricket world is discovering such rare and fearless youngsters today.

He noted that Vaibhav is the perfect example of how far the IPL has come, citing how a young boy is walking in with immense confidence and taking on the biggest names without any fear.

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Graeme Smith calls Vaibhav Sooryavanshi the Future of Modern T20 Cricket

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had hit one of the world's best bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah, for a six on his first ball and went on to hammer 39 runs off 14 balls to play a key role in the Rajasthan Royals’ 27-run win over the Mumbai Indians in their IPL 2026 clash in Guwahati.

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Smith said that the IPL has changed the entire structure of T20 cricket globally, and at just 15 years and 12 days old, Vaibhav has already proven what a modern T20 batter should look like. The chairman of South Africa’s SA20 shared that he watched the first few weeks of IPL 2026 like every fan, and he feels Vaibhav has everything needed to become a long-term superstar.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi could become a proper superstar over the course of IPL 2026: Graeme Smith

The Proteas great noted that the left-hander has the timing, the courage, the mindset, and, above all, the hunger to attack from the very first ball. Smith has pointed out that fans may still enjoy watching legends like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, but Vaibhav has brought a new spark.

Graeme Smith wrote in his blog: “The IPL has started exactly how I expected it to, with flatter pitches and high-scoring games. As always, it’s interesting to see how the old school superstars like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli perform, but I think this youngster for the Rajasthan Royals, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, is the one to watch in the opening few weeks. He has already shown his ability to power it right from ball one. As a young man, he could become a proper superstar over the course of the tournament, and I’m really excited to see how he goes.”

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How did the IPL change the game?

Graeme Smith also spoke about how leagues like SA20 have grown because of the IPL. South Africa benefited hugely by having IPL franchise owners leading their teams, as they brought top-level scouting, fitness, medical care, coaching, and overall professionalism into the system.

The former South Africa captain feels that IPL franchises have a rare eye for spotting talent from unexpected places, and Vaibhav, coming from a small-town background, is the perfect example of how the IPL can turn hidden talent into global stars.

Smith further explained, “We were very fortunate to attract six IPL teams of high quality, and they’re the most experienced franchise owners in the world. They are very competitive, they want to win, and they bring in a level of cricket and business excellence across the board, from coaching to medical care.

When you’re trying to rebuild and grow a cricket ecosystem, to have partners like that is amazing. It’s kind of impossible to compete with the IPL, but we’ve been fortunate that they’ve been very open with us and helped us build the big blocks in the early phases.”