India batting sensation and Rajasthan Royals star player Vaibhav Sooryavanshi credited the franchise and Rahul Dravid for scouting him at a very young age and giving him the opportunity to play at that level.
“When I made my domestic debut, RR had been keeping an eye on me during my domestic and Under-19 games. Their scouting team had been keeping an eye on me for a long time. I felt that I could go to RR because my trial with them had gone very well,” he said
“I am happy to be with RR, as I have improved a lot too in my life while playing for RR,” he added.
The left-handed batter who played a massive role in the U19 World Cup win for India also lavished praise on Rahul Dravid and thanked him for the kind of support and belief that he showed on the teenager.
“Rahul (Dravid) sir was there at that time, so I got to learn a lot from him. There were a lot of senior players in the team, and I had a good learning experience from them during the first camp as well as the first IPL.”
As for his IPL 2026 plans, Vaibhav has his sights set firmly on the title. “The goal this IPL season is to win the trophy for the team, as it is a very important thing. I want to do well, and my performance will help the whole team. This is my goal – to contribute to RR’s wins and win the trophy for the franchise,” he said.
The journey continues for Team India’s rising star. ⭐
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has his focus set on the next trophy.#NamanAwards, LIVE NOW 👉 https://t.co/XGKhP1qQbW pic.twitter.com/qmLoM7LVRH
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) March 15, 2026
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s Career
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi plays for Bihar in the domestic circuit and for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League. Apart from that, he was a part of the U19 team that won the World Cup under the captaincy of Ayush Mhatre. Vaibhav smashed a record-breaking 175 runs off 80 balls against England — with 15 fours and 15 sixes — in the final of the 2026 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup.
In 8 First-Class Matches that Vaibha has played, he has scored 207 runs. In 8 List A matches, the left-hander has 353 runs while in 18 T20s, the youngster has amassed 701 runs at a strike-rate of 204.37.
Talking about his IPL career, Vaibhav has notched up 252 runs in seven matches at a stunning strike-rate of 206.55 that includes a hundred and a fifty.
He was earlier, he was honoured with the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
The 14-year-old received India’s highest civilian award for children (aged 5–18), recognising exceptional achievement across fields including sports, bravery, innovation, science, social service, and culture. Suryavanshi was one of 20 young achievers celebrated at the ceremony.
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