IPL 2026 Qualifier 2: 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi proved he is a big-game player on the big stage as he scored a 29-ball 97 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 Eliminator. In the Qualifier 2 clash, he will be the prized wicket for Gujarat Titans (GT). On the eve of the knockout game, GT assistant coach Parthiv Patel said that like everyone else, they have seen videos of his batting and chalked out their plans but won’t reveal them. He hopes that GT bowlers execute their plan to get Sooryavanshi out early on May 29.
"Sir, I am not a broadcaster and I am not sitting in the pre-show of Star Sports. So, I won’t be able to tell you what plans we have made. But, I am very happy with the way he is batting," Patel responded to a question in the pre-match press conference in Mullanpur.
"Hopefully, we will try and get him out soon. Like everyone else, we also have our plans in place. We have seen the videos, like everyone else. Hopefully, we will be able to execute our plans.
"But, I won’t be able to tell what our plans are. You will get to know it on the ground.”
Parthiv wants the age talk to stop
Sooryavanshi is currently the leading run-scorer of the tournament with 680 runs from 15 innings. Patel lauded the young opener and said that the talk around his age needs to stop as he is a phenomenal talent.
"The way he has been batting, it feels very good to see it. We should not be talking about his age. I think that’s something we need to put an end to. He’s been a phenomenal talent, just the way he has been playing, and it’s great to see him. From the opposition’s point of view, we just hope that he doesn’t get one tomorrow," said the former India wicketkeeper-batter.
Sooryavanshi’s numbers against Titans in IPL 2026
Earlier in IPL 2026, Sooryavanshi was dismissed for an 18-ball 31 by leg-spinner Rashid Khan. Earlier this month, Sooryavanshi scored a 16-ball 36 against GT. This time he fell to Mohammed Siraj. However, of late, the youngster has looked to bat for longer periods. It was visible in RR’s must-win match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) where he scored a 38-ball 97 but started relatively slowly.
Notably, Sooryavanshi’s maiden IPL century in 2025 edition came against GT. He scored a 38-ball 101 against a lineup that included Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Ishant Sharma, Washington Sundar and Rashid.