INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE | WITH 5.33 ER SHAMI IS THE MOST ECONOMICAL BOWLER OF IPL 2026 SO FAR
New Delhi, April 9: Prodigiously talented Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s legion of fans keeps on growing with South African batting great Graeme Smith describing the 15-year-old Indian as a “proper superstar” after his exploits in the IPL 2026.
The 15-year-old Sooryavanshi smashed world’s best T20 bowler Jasprit Bumrah for a six off the very first delivery he faced during Rajasthan Royals’ win 27-run win over Mumbai Indians in a rain-curtailed match on Tuesday.
The young swashbuckler hit Bumrah again for a six in the same over during his 14-ball 39.
“The IPL has started exactly how I expected it to, with flatter pitches and high-scoring games. As always, it’s interesting to see how the old school superstars like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli perform, but I think this youngster for Rajasthan Royals, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, is the one to watch in the opening few weeks,” Smith said on his blog.
“He has already shown his ability to power it right from ball one. As a young man, he could become a proper superstar over the course of the tournament and I’m really excited to see how he goes,” said the former South Africa captain.
Smith, who was part of the first-ever Rajasthan Royals squad to win the inaugural IPL back in 2008, believes the most popular T20 tournament in the world has revolutionized the global cricketing landscape.
Former India captain Anil Kumble had expressed amazement by how Sooryavanshi confidently took on a bowler of Bumrah’s calibre, smashing a six off the very first delivery he faced. (PTI)
