IPL 2026: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the cheat code batter - why even Jasprit Bumrah, Josh Hazlewood and Arshdeep Singh have nowhere to hide

And only Rabada, somewhat, has returned unscathed against the Sooryavanshi assault, with Sooryavanshi striking at a mere 125. For every other international bowler of repute, Sooryavanshi has hammered them at over a 200 strike rate, barring Siraj, against whom he has scored at an impressive 170.

Vabihav Sooryavanshi vs Top Bowlers in IPL

And Sooryavanshi isn’t just attacking top bowlers - he’s dismissing reputations. Against a roll call of elite names, there are no sighters, no respect for pedigree, just instant intent. A first-ball six off Bumrah, another off Boult, and the same audacity against Cummins. Hazlewood’s first over to Sooryavanshi went 4, 4, 4, 6. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was hit for four off the very first ball he bowled to him, while Arshdeep Singh was greeted with 6, 4, 4 in his very first over. Even the craft of Sunil Narine and Siraj’s pace did not stop him - both were taken on almost immediately. And when Ferguson came steaming in the other night, Sooryavanshi reeled off 4, 4, 6 in his opening burst.

And overall, among all the bowlers he has faced in the IPL so far, the reading looks even more impressive. Only against Mohsin Khan and Narine has Sooryavanshi been unable to break the shackles, while Rashid Khan and Prasidh Krishna have had a more balanced outing against the young Turk.

Viabhav Sooryavasnhi vs the rest of the bowlers in IPL

Not Just Reckless Hitting

And for many, this might look like the young batter going for his shots early on, bordering on reckless hitting. But is that so? The mindset of Sooryavanshi is clear - he has the licence to go from the word go, can back it up with his power and judgement of length, and follows the thought process of playing the ball rather than the bowler. But there are also technical aspects working in his favour. Simply put, it is just harder to bowl to Sooryavanshi.

And what makes it harder? Simple - the balls that are supposed to keep a batter quiet just don’t work on him. As cricket data analyst Himanish Ganjoo explained on an ESPNcricinfo podcast, “For the average batter, the good length strike rate is about 130. For Vaibhav, it’s over 200.”

In other words, the length bowlers rely on the most to control runs is the exact area where he scores freely. And if bowlers miss even slightly and land it fuller, it gets worse. “In the slot, he’s striking at 400,” Ganjoo said. That’s why it feels like there’s no safe option against him.

What really sets him apart is how he does it. Ganjoo points out that he hits good-length balls far more often than other batters and even pulls balls from shorter lengths than usual - areas where most players struggle. Sooryavanshi reads the length early, gets into position quickly, and has the bat speed to still hit it hard even when the ball isn’t there to be hit. His high backlift and quick hands mean he can generate power from almost anywhere. Most batters have at least one weakness - short-pitch delivery, back-of-a-length, swing - but with Sooryavanshi, those usual plans don’t seem to work. That’s what makes him feel different from everyone else.

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And a glance at his mode of dismissals also indicates that a bowler can rarely rush Sooryavanshi with pace, and he seldom misses the line of the ball. Of the 16 times he has been dismissed, Sooryavanshi has been bowled twice and lbw once. Two of those dismissals came after he had already scored 101 and 103.

Of his four single-digit dismissals so far in the IPL, only his dismissal against SRH’s by Praful Hinge in IPL 2026 stands out, where he seemed to be outdone by extra bounce while attempting a swipe towards cow corner. The remaining three were all down to Sooryavanshi’s own false shots, which, as of now, remain the rarest of occurrences.