Former India batter Wasim Jaffer has asked the Rajasthan Royals to never let go of boy wonder Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Jaffer’s comments come after Sooryavanshi smashed a 29-ball 97 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2026 Eliminator.
Sooryavanshi is currently the Orange Cap holder and has arguably been the best batter of the tournament, at least by the proverbial mile. Sooryavanshi’s exploits have now put the Rajasthan Royals in the second Qualifier, and the team is now just one win away from making their third IPL final ever.
“They would be fools” – Wasim Jaffer
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Jaffer said that it would be foolish of the RR franchise to let Vaibhav Sooryavanshi go into the IPL auction at any stage. Jaffer said that Sooryavanshi was the future of the franchise, even if he went through the regular ups and downs any player goes through in their life.
“They will be fools if they let this guy go. In the future may be there will be a season where he does not score runs. This will happen with everyone. But he has shown the trailer of how the picture ahead will be. This guy is the future of your franchise, and you have to keep him,” he said.
“He will rewrite all of the records” – Jaffer
Wasim Jaffer then spent the rest of the interaction showering the 15-year-old with a lot of praise. Jaffer said that it was unbelievable that a child like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi could do things that most adults were struggling with. Jaffer said that Sooryavanshi could essentially rewrite the record book even if he played for just 10 more years.
“This kid is scaling new heights. We had asked if he could score consistently, and he is doing that. Breaking Gayle’s record of most sixes, this kid is doing unreal things. I am in awe. Playing such an innings in the playoffs is unbelievable.”
“He deserves all the accolades. There is nothing left to say. SRH were the favorites, but his innings completely changed the game. Many have played 10 years in this league and could not do what this guy is achieving in just his second season,” Jaffer continued.
“He is just 15. The scary thing is, what will he do if he even goes on to play for the next ten years? I think he will rewrite all the records. A lot of guys of a good age cannot even deal with this pressure, let alone perform like this. This guy is batting like this against the top performers of the world and dominating. He is one in a billion,” he added.
Also Read: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi anointed the ‘Bradman of T20 cricket.’
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in IPL 2026
As mentioned earlier, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is currently the Orange Cap holder in IPL 2026. He has scored 680 runs in 15 matches.
Astonishingly, his runs have come at a gobsmacking strike rate of 243. Of his 5 scores of fifty or more, 4 have come in fewer than 20 balls. His century also came in just 36 balls. During the Eliminator, he broke Chris Gayle’s record for the most sixes by a player ever in a single season of the IPL.
