Former Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews feels Rajasthan Royals (RR) will be in the final fo the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL), after their win over defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Friday.
He posted on X, formerly Twitter: “Rajasthan will be in this year’s IPL final!”
Never satisfied. Never settling for less 🫡
🎥 THE VAIBHAV SOORYAVANSHI MINDSET ✨#TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas
| #RRvRCB | @rajasthanroyals pic.twitter.com/rdwKH9eReH— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 10, 2026
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi played another astonishing innings — a 26-ball 78 with seven sixes — to help RR chase down RCB’s total with two overs to spare at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati.
‘Vaiball’ Takes Off
The cricketing world too celebrated the 15-year-old.
Former India
opener Virender Sehwag captured the mood perfectly, writing: “Not many can provide this kind of excitement at this age… there is a method to his madness, fearlessness and sky is the limit.”
Veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin coined a new phrase that instantly went viral: “This is insane! This is Vaiball Suryanvanshi. Let’s vibe with this fella #IPL2026.”
Meanwhile, Irfan Pathan offered an intriguing observation: “Does Vaibhav Sooryavanshi target big bowlers purposely? I like to think so.”
Within minutes, “Vaiball” was trending, with fans flooding timelines in disbelief at the teenager’s fearless hitting.
Captains Hail Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
RCB captain Rajat Patidar said RR’s batting, especially Vaibhav Sooryavnashi’s impact, made the difference in the match. “The way their batters, especially Vaibhav, batted in the powerplay, I think that made a huge difference,” he said while speaking at the post-match presentation
RR captain Riyan Parag said Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is a fun-loving character who is well-liked in the team.
“I think everyone loves him. Everyone loves having him around. He likes eating stuff. He likes going out and stuff like that. So we make sure we make that available for him. And he’s a 16-year-old kid, 15-year-old, whatever it is. Yeah, doing kiddish things. And he’s happy with that. He likes a lot of batting. So we make sure that is presented to him. And if he keeps on batting like that, I think whatever he wants,” Parag said.
(With inputs from Agencies)
