Few players have grabbed attention in IPL 2026 quite like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. At just 15, the teenager has played with a fearlessness that rarely comes naturally even to seasoned international cricketers. He has taken apart some of the world’s best bowlers in the powerplay, continued attacking under pressure and quickly become one of the breakout stars of the season.
Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers, though, believes the hardest part of that journey is still to come.Speaking on the ‘For The Love of Cricket’ podcast, de Villiers said Sooryavanshi’s talent was obvious but warned that stepping beyond T20 cricket would bring entirely different mental and physical challenges.“I don’t know how he’s going to last, to be honest, and that’s what I tell my brothers and my friends, at his age, it’s just absolutely incredible,” de Villiers said.
“We all know the talent is there. I would like to see him in other formats, in Test cricket. He doesn’t yet know what he’s in for, and a lot of things will change.”
The 42-year-old felt Sooryavanshi could easily enjoy a long career if he chose to remain a T20 specialist. But he also felt the teenager’s real test would begin if he pushed himself towards international cricket across formats.”
“Unless someone, a really good manager, comes around and says to him, ‘Listen, you are a T20 specialist for the rest of your life, congratulations. That’s all you’re going to do’. Then there will be a very long and successful career, I have no doubt,” he said.
“But if he does start nibbling around with ODIs in particular, Test cricket, he will discover a whole different area of his cricket mentally and physically and so forth,” he added.
The former Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter explained that succeeding in longer formats would demand much more than fearless strokeplay and natural attacking instincts.“Does he have the talent to counter all the obstacles that might come his way and challenges? Definitely. But it will not be an easy ride. It will be a rocky road,” de Villiers said.
At the same time, the South African great admitted he hoped Sooryavanshi would eventually challenge himself in red-ball cricket despite the difficulties that might come with it.“And I hope he does go that route and try and play Test cricket for his country. I would love to see that journey unfold,” de Villiers added.
Sooryavanshi’s rise has already led to discussions around his future beyond T20 cricket. Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin recently said the youngster had the game to succeed across formats and admitted he would love to watch him eventually play Test cricket as well.
Speaking on JioHotstar, Ashwin praised the teenager’s fearless batting and ability to dominate bowlers despite his age.“He is taking every bowler down. I wouldn’t mind watching him in a Test match, and I wouldn’t mind watching him in all three formats of the game. Get him onto cricket grounds, get people coming along, because he is going to entertain you,” Ashwin said. Sooryavanshi has made 440 runs in 11 matches for the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2026 so far.
