Vaibhav Sooryavnashi is seemingly on the way to break every record possible as a batter. At the age of only 15, he has already surpassed one of Chris Gayle’s records in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Imagine how much Vaibhav Sooryavanshi would get if he entered the IPL player auction. May be a INR 30 crore pay check? This is what some of the former cricketers-turned-cricket experts said when the opener was toying with the Sunrisers Hyderabad bowlers in the play-offs.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was in a riot against the Sunrisers Hyderabad
Sooryavanshi missed his second IPL century by only 3 runs on May 27 in New Chandigarh. But his 97-run knock was enough to push the Rajasthan Royals (RR) into the play-offs. He might have missed the century, but through the blistering knock, the emerging talent has broken multiple records. He needed only 15 balls to surpass the fifty-run mark,
The southpaw’s innings was decorated with five 4s and twelve 6s, which rocketed his strike rate to 334.48. The innings also saw him break Chris Gayle’s record for the most sixes in a single IPL season. In a single IPL season, Gayle recorded 59 maximums. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi already has 53.
What could be Sooryavanshi's price in the IPL players' auction?
During the commentary, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh asked Virender Sehwag how much money he would want to spend on the teenage batter if he came in the player’s auction. Without any second thought, the former opener said that he would like to spend INR 30 crores on the young prodigy.
Another former Indian opener, Aakash Chopra, who was also in the commentary box, responded quickly on the same note by saying that he would be there to match the bid.
Interestingly, Rajasthan Royals bought Vaibhav Sooryavanshi into their squad only for INR 1.10 crore. Since making his IPL debut with the Royals, the top-order batter has so far aggregated 680 runs at an average of 45.33 and a breathtaking strike rate of 242.86, the highest in the ongoing tournament. With the staggering amount of runs, he has the Orange Cap holder as well this season.
AB de Villiers showered praises on the 15-year-old batter
South African cricket legend AB de Villiers, who was known for playing innovative shots all around the ground, is also stunned to see Vaibhav’s batting skills at the age of only 15. Villiers observed that the Pat Cummins-led Sunrisers Hyderabad was trying various plans to stop Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, but none of their plans proved fruitful.
“What stood out most about Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s innings was his composure and clarity under pressure at just 15 years of age. Pat Cummins and Sunrisers Hyderabad kept trying different plans, constantly changing the field and mixing their lengths to disrupt his rhythm, but he stayed completely locked into his own bubble throughout the innings. That level of game awareness in a knockout match is remarkable for someone so young,” de Villiers told JioStar.
“What’s most impressive about Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is the clarity he already has around his preparation and routines at just 15 years of age. Hearing him talk about visualising match-ups, studying bowlers, and mentally preparing before games shows a level of maturity that is very rare at that age,” he said.
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