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Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar recently termed Rajasthan Royals’ teen wonder Vaibhav Sooryavanshi a liability in the field and talked about how it affected his game.
Manjrekar criticised the way Rajasthan were using Sooryavanshi mostly as an Impact Player. He said that this did not allow the 15-year-old southpaw to necessarily grow the way he ideally should.
For all his bravado with the bat, Sooryavanshi has rarely ever taken the field.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in IPL 2026
Currently, Sooryavanshi is joint-fifth on the Orange Cap standings in IPL 2026. With 440 runs in 11 matches, he is one of the top contenders to end up with the cap by the end of the season.
Sooryavanshi currently has a batting average of 40 and a strike rate of 236.55 in this year’s IPL. He also has 2 fifties and a century. His fifties were in just 15 balls, while the century was in just 36 balls.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi also leads the sixes chart in the tournament with 40 sixes to his name.
“Impact Player rule should be reconsidered for this reason” – Sanjay Manjrekar
Speaking on SportStar’s Insight Edge Podcast, Manjrekar said that cricketers need to develop in both their batting and fielding skills. He said that the Impact Player rule was preventing Vaibhav Sooryavanshi from becoming a better fielder.
“I’m increasingly feeling that the Impact Player rule should be reconsidered for this reason as well. Is this all we want to see from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, just one side of his game? A cricketer is someone who bats well and fields well too,” Manjrekar said.
He compared the situation with previous generations of players who were judged for both their batting and fielding.
“We respected players like Inzamam-ul-Haq for their batting, but we also saw their fielding and other aspects of the game. That helped properly assess a player. Right now, someone can come in, face a few balls, display their hitting ability, and then disappear without showing the other side of their cricket,” he added.
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“Youngsters need to be put under pressure” – Sanjay Manjrekar
Sanjay Manjrekar further clarified that he felt younger rising players needed to be put under more pressure in the field. He said that they needed to be tested, especially in terms of the heat they face if they drop a catch. In the same discussion, he went on to term Vaibhav Sooryavanshi a liability on the field.
“We are not expecting to see all 3 dimensions of a player. But the more I think of it, it all makes sense, and you’re right, Sooryavanshi, you want to see him be on the field and see what happens and be put under pressure as well. If he is a great batter, but a slight liability in the field, I’d like to see that exploited.”
“That is also something we have experienced as fielders when we drop a catch at the tension that comes with it, which is going to be batting and chilling. You don’t want one of the highest sort of levels of the sport to be that easy,” he added.
Manjrekar concluded by saying that the Rajasthan Royals were unintentionally hindering Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s ability to become a better fielder.
