‘Teams will figure him out’ - Zaheer Khan warns Vaibhav Sooryavanshi of tough challenges after record-breaking IPL 2026

Former Indian cricketer Zaheer Khan has warned Vaibhav Sooryavanshi about the challenges he could face going forward in his career. The young batter impressed the cricket fraternity with his fearless and aggressive batting during IPL 2026. The left-handed batter scored 776 runs in 16 matches at an average of 48.50 and an outstanding strike rate of 237.31. His impressive campaign came to an end after Rajasthan Royals suffered a defeat against Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2.

Speaking about Sooryavanshi's future, Zaheer said that opposition bowlers would continue to come up with new tactics and plans to dismiss him. He added that as the youngster gains recognition, rival teams will spend more time analysing his strengths and weaknesses.

"For someone to have this kind of a season with 700-plus runs being scored. You can't just bat in one fashion. You know, at some stage teams are going to figure it out. They're going to try different things, and the same was the case with Vaibhav Suryavanshi,” said Zaheer on Cricbuzz.

“Even today, GT was trying different tactics. They were trying to contain him by having mid-off, forcing him to play over mid-on. You've seen SRH trying to set a different field, so all those challenges, all those questions are going to be asked by different teams at different times, and you've got to stay on top of it," he added.

Sooryavanshi got off to a cautious start against Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2 as Rajasthan Royals kept losing wickets at regular intervals from the other end. The young left-hander paced his innings brilliantly, balancing aggression with responsibility before shifting gears at the right time. He eventually played a sensational knock of 96 runs off just 47 deliveries, smashing eight fours and seven sixes.

"And that's what has happened today as well. It was another example of wickets falling at the other end; he was not really able to get going. But look at the strike rate at which he's batting. Slowish innings compared to what he's been doing. But still managed to score 96 at a 205 strike rate. That's phenomenal,” said Zaheer.

“So, you know, he's got different dimensions to his game. He can play the situation, and that's the exciting part. Like I said, it's just about understanding more and more and having that sustenance. You know, if he's able to just stay on this track, the records and the numbers will happen in due course," he concluded.