3 min readUpdated: May 27, 2026 10:41 PM IST
The IPL is in its 19th season but the only jerseys worth collecting and sporting for a long time now were the ones with 7 (MS Dhoni), 18 (Virat Kohli) and 45 (Rohit Sharma) printed on them. This edition, one can add 03 (Vaibhav Sooryavanshi) to the short list.
The 15-year-old’s exploits – in terms of run-making, strike rate and six-hitting ability – has made him a favourite among those collecting jerseys.
Rajasthan Royals has witnessed a huge demand for Sooryavanshi jerseys this season and a source in the team said that they had never seen such a spike in demand for any particular player’s jersey since the inception of the league.
“His jersey is in huge demand, everyone has been asking for his jersey only. And it’s the most-sold jersey too, we have never seen such demand,” the source told The Indian Express.
ALSO READ | Sooryavanshi’s 97 off 29 balls: Innings that redefined what’s possible in T20s
The teenager – who scored 97 in 29 balls in the Eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad in New Chandigarh on Wednesday, breaking Chris Gayle’s record for the most sixes in an IPL edition in the process – has never been short of confidence and didn’t let the high stakes in the game affect his approach.
And big names don’t faze him. On Wednesday, Sooryavanshi made a mockery of the Sunrisers attack, that included Australian stalwart Pat Cummins. Sooryavanshi blasted a barrage of sixes with the Aussie not spared either in the barrage that included 12 sixes and five fours, going past Gayle’s mark in much fewer deliveries.
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Sooryavanshi is an admirer of Rohit and Kohli, but doesn’t have any idol in the current set-up.
“He was clear that he will play with most of them in the coming year while we all were talking about how Kohli and Rohit are our idols. His clarity makes him special,” one of Sooryavanshi’s teammates in the India U19 team recalled about a conversation.
When most of the India under-19 players went home after the age-group World Cup, Sooryavanshi went to the Rajasthan Royals academy in Nagpur for training. His work ethic sets him apart from his contemporaries.
Sanju Samson, the former RR captain, referred to a chat before with then-head coach Rahul Dravid.
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“Rahul Sir called him (Sooryavanshi) into the room and told me, ‘Sanju, we need to talk to him. He’s a very young kid, we have to explain how to go about it,’” Samson said.
“So Rahul Sir asked him, ‘Vaibhav, what’s the plan?’ Vaibhav replied, ‘Kuch nahi Sir, hum to khelenge.’ Rahul Sir asked again, ‘What’s your game plan?’” The youngster’s reply left them amused. “Vaibhav said, ‘Agar hume pehla ball mila to hum pehla hi uda denge.’ And that’s exactly what he did,” Samson recalled with a smile.
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