IIM Indore to perform case study on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi after IPL 2026 heroics with Rajasthan Royals

Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore has decided to invite Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to its research centre to conduct a study on him following his exploits in the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Rajasthan Royals. 

The study will revolve around Sooryavanshi's meteoric rise in the cricketing world at the tender age of 15. It will aim to learn more about how early success and fame could impact a young sportsperson in the long run, and how to deal with such hindrances to remain successful. According to IIM Indore's Director, Mr Himanshu Rai, the case study would go beyond cricketing achievements of the left-handed batter. 

“We want to understand what factors drive the extraordinary performance of child prodigies. Personality, behaviour, and practice patterns, along with the support of parents, teachers, coaches, and seniors, are crucial for such performance. In our study, we also want to look at how to deal with such expectations or obstacles,” Himanshu Rai said to the press via the Indian Express. 

The 2026 IPL season will always be remembered for being Sooryavanshi's breakout campaign. The opening batter took the tournament by storm, scoring 776 runs at a staggering strike-rate of 237.30 to win the Orange Cap, along with other accolades, including the Most Valuable Player (MVP) and the Emerging Player of the Season. 

Sooryavanshi had some outstanding individual performances in the IPL this season, including a century against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in Jaipur and three scores in the 90s in his last four games. He scored 97 against the same opponents in the Eliminator before hitting 96 against the Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2, but he ended the game on the losing side. 

Despite Sooryavanshi's best efforts with the bat, the Royals once again failed to reach the final of the recently concluded IPL season. To date, the Jaipur-based franchise only have one title to their name, coming in the inaugural season in 2008. However, with the 15-year-old starlet on their side, they surely have a chance to rewrite history in the coming years.