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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will be seen in a new role in the upcoming Duleep Trophy 2025/26 for the East Zone. The 15-year-old boy wonder has been appointed as the vice-captain for his zone, and he will be working under Ishan Kishan, who is the captain of the side. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s focus is now on the red-ball format as the tournament starts on 23rd August.
Sooryavanshi recently won the Player of the Series award for his exceptional performances in the recently concluded three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe. In the tour, he announced himself in international cricket, smashing two swashbuckling fifties and scoring one impactful 20 runs. He scored a total of 151 runs across 3 innings at an average of 50.33
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi trains at RR's own CoE
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who is a part of the Rajasthan Royals (RR) franchise in the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL), has been training for the red-ball tournament at the Rajasthan Royals Academy in Talegaon, near Nagpur, for some time. The Academy at Nagpur is the Centre of Excellence (CoE) for the franchise.
“The camp combines technical skill development, strength and conditioning, workload management, recovery and performance analysis through individually tailored training programmes. The objective is to ensure players return to competitive cricket physically prepared, technically refined and ready for the demands of the domestic season,” the franchise said in a statement, as quoted by Cricbuzz.
Vikram Rathour guides Vaibhav Sooryavanshi ahead of Duleep Trophy
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is not alone in the excellence centre; he has been accompanied by some of his teammates and also RR assistant coach Vikram Rathour, who has been guiding him during these red-ball sessions. Rathour said (as quoted by Cricbuzz) that the boy wonder is refining himself, as it allows the individuals to get the best training.
“The period before the season begins is one of the most valuable opportunities for players to invest in their game. Every player arrives with different objectives, whether that’s refining technical skills, building physical conditioning or preparing for the demands of the domestic season.”
“The High Performance Centre allows us to create individualised programmes while training together as a squad, ensuring every player is best prepared for the challenges ahead,” Rathour said.
"Our players can develop throughout the year"- Romi Bhinder on RR's High Performance Centre
Previously, RR head of operations Romi Bhinder stated that the High Performance Centre is made for a long-term vision to provide every cricketer the best and world-class facilities throughout the year and also to develop the young cricketers beyond the IPL season. The Royals nearly made it to the final last year and have produced some great young cricketers over the years.
“The High Performance Centre was established with a long-term vision of creating a world-class environment where our players can develop throughout the year. Our focus is on the overall cricketing development of every player, which extends far beyond the IPL season in April and May,” Romi Bhinder, the franchise’s head of operations, said.
The Royals have set up a 10-day camp for some players, with Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma, Shubham Dubey, Ravi Singh and Sushant Mishra, besides Sooryavanshi among those in attendance. Sooryavanshi and Deshpande will feature in the Duleep Trophy, representing East Zone and West Zone respectively.
