Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has become a household name now with his exemplary performances with the bat during the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. The Bihar batter turned 15 years old one day before the start of the tournament and celebrated it by smashing bowlers all over the park over the next few weeks.

Sooryavanshi eventually finished the campaign with a staggering 776 runs in 16 matches at an average of 48.50 and a strike rate of 237.31. In the Eliminator, he smashed 97 off 29 balls and followed it up with a 47-ball 96 in Qualifier 2. The southpaw earned rich praise from the legendary Sachin Tendulkar after his heroics during the season.

The Master Blaster said that Sooryavanshi managed to have an influence on matches that extended beyond the runs he scored. Tendulkar opined that opposition teams were planning to get him out and fans were waiting for him to go berserk with his scintillating range of ball striking.

“Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had an influence on games that went beyond the runs he scored. Oppositions were thinking about him, teams were planning for him, and fans were waiting for him long before he arrived at the crease,” Tendulkar wrote in a Reddit post.

“His ability to score rapidly in both the Eliminator and the Qualifier showed that his intent remained unchanged, even as the pressure increased. More importantly, his batting seemed to give Rajasthan Royals an added sense of belief every time he walked out to the middle,” the highest run-scorer in international cricket added.

Sooryavanshi broke Chris Gayle’s record for the most sixes in a single season of the IPL. The Caribbean legend had hit 59 sixes in IPL 2012. However, Sooryavanshi better that record convincingly, belting a staggering 72 sixes. The Tajpur-born won the Orange Cap, MVP (Most Valuable Player) award, Emerging Player of the Season, Super Striker of the Season, and Super Sixes of the Season.

Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 was an action-packed affair with teams jostling for the coveted title. In the end, it was the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) who retained the silverware.

The legendary Ravichandran Ashwin picked his best playing XII from the recently concluded tournament during one of his videos on YouTube.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who was the MVP (Most Valuable Player) and Orange Cap winner, got picked as the opener and it was actually a no-brainer. Gujarat Titans’ skipper Shubman Gill, who finished as the second-highest run-getter, was picked as Sooryavanshi’s opening partner.

The talismanic Virat Kohli opened the batting for RCB and had his best season in terms of strike rate. He was also the Player of the Match in the final against the Titans. In Ashwin’s side, he was given the No. 3 position.

Heinrich Klaasen, Rajat Patidar, and Nitish Kumar Reddy formed the middle order in Ashwin’s team. Klaasen was impressive throughout the season for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). He aggregated more than 600 runs, which is commendable for a middle-order batter. RCB skipper Patidar also had a pivotal role to play in his team’s triumph.

He led from the front, playing some decisive knocks throughout the season. IPL 2026 didn’t have too many all-rounders producing noteworthy performances. However, Reddy stood out, scoring over 300 runs and picking up eight wickets. He was followed by RCB all-rounder Krunal Pandya, who also had a memorable campaign.

Ashwin’s bowling unit featured a plethora of overseas players. Apart from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the former India spinner went with Jamie Overton, Sunil Narine, and Kagiso Rabada. The cricketer-turned-expert picked Jofra Archer as his overseas player. It is important to mention that Rabada, Bhuvneshar, and Archer were the top three wicket-takers in the tournament, finishing with 29, 28, and 25 wickets, respectively.

Ravichandran Ashwin’s best playing XI of IPL 2026: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Heinrich Klaasen, Rajat Patidar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Krunal Pandya, Jamie Overton, Sunil Narine, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kagiso Rabada.

Impact Player: Jofra Archer.

Former India captain Anjum Chopra believes that English conditions are no longer unfamiliar territory for the Indian women’s team and feels they will start as favourites at the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. India will begin their campaign against Pakistan in Birmingham on June 14.

Chopra also suggested that the Indian team management may need to adopt greater flexibility in its batting order to maximize the squad’s strengths. A major boost for the team has been the return of Yastika Bhatia after a lengthy injury layoff. The wicketkeeper-batter made an immediate impact on her comeback, scoring 54 runs in the opening T20I against England.

“For Nandini (Sharma), yes, she is playing there. But in a very small career of Shree Charani, this is her second tour to England in less than 12 months. For me, India will always remain one of the favourite sides. Obviously, I want them there. Not only in the top four. I want them in the top two and then the top team,” said Chopra as quoted by NDTV Sports.

“It’s very good that she (Yastika) is scoring runs and she scored in the first T20. Though she missed out on a long innings in the second. But what it also does is that it’s not about just balancing out Jemmy and Harman and Yastika. I think the Indian team will probably need to be a little more open about flexibility in the batting order,” she added.

India have been placed in a tough Group 1 alongside Australia, South Africa, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Netherlands, with only the top two teams advancing to the semifinals of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. Chopra acknowledged that the group presents a significant challenge and warned that qualification will be far from straightforward. She emphasised that India’s ability to adapt to different match situations, conditions, and opponents will be crucial if they are to secure a place in the knockout stages.

“I am not saying that they will not be because right now, it’s just a series against England. But in less than a couple of weeks they will play their first World Cup game, I feel there needs to be a little more adaptability to the flexibility,” said Chopra.

“Even Pakistan has been playing some very good cricket. And India does not know how the Netherlands would come out. They’ve also made it to the World Cup. And why should we just forget the fact that there is an Australian team and a South African team in the same pool. So, only two of the teams can qualify for the semi-finals from that pool. So, it’s not going to be very easy,” he added.