‘He is nearly the IPL’ - Jos Buttler on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s impact in 2026 season

It was a season for the history books by Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) emerging batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi despite failing to win the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. They were eliminated by the runner-ups Gujarat Titans (GT) in Qualifier 2 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Stadium in New Chandigarh. 

His performance was so noteworthy that the cricket fraternity all across the globe has fallen short of words. Hailing the 15-year-old wonderkid, England’s batting great Jos Buttler spoke about what kind of impact Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had on the season, even more so than the eventual winners Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

The right-hander exclaimed how it felt to watch the RR opener bat in IPL 2026, and he felt that Vaibhav was undoubtedly the story of IPL.

"RCB won the trophy, and they are the story of the IPL. But Vaibhav is nearly the IPL this year. He is the story of the tournament. MVP, 700-plus runs, and at a faster strike rate than everyone else. It was amazing to watch," he said during a podcast with former teammate Stuart Broad.

Stuart Broad, too, joined in the conversation, claiming that Vaibhav is already a household name in England despite not debuting for the Indian team yet.

"I said in my last podcast that I have not seen a player become an international star without having played international cricket. In England, people are talking about him. They may not even be IPL fans, but they are saying, 'Oh my God, have you seen Sooryavanshi? He's unbelievable.' He has become a world star. Not like Kohli or anything, but he is probably the first player to become a world star without playing international cricket," Broad said.

Sooryavanshi won the Orange Cap for scoring the most runs (776) in IPL 2026, with a stunning strike rate of 237.31. He also won the Emerging Player of the Season award for his heroics at this young age, as well as the Most Valuable Player award. The former RR batter further claimed that when he met RR’s ex-owner Manoj Badale during the season, he got to know about the popularity Vaibhav enjoys in India already.

"His impact in India is massive. He is the guy everyone is talking about. I was chatting with Rajasthan Royals' former owner Manoj Badale, who told me that in Kolkata, half the stadium had turned up to watch Vaibhav, and they were all wearing his RR jersey.”

"Imagine that pressure at 15 when you get off the bus and see that, but he has soaked it all up. And when he bats, I don't know whether Rajasthan Royals have done it or the tournament, but there is a song for him, this Sooryavanshi song, that comes on when he's blasting you," he concluded.

Sooryavanshi also broke the long-standing six-hitting record set by Chris Gayle, smashing a staggering 72 sixes in the 2026 season to mark an end to one of the most unforgettable individual performances in an IPL edition.