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Virat Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma has lauded rising sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi after he became the youngest player in Indian Premier League (IPL) history to win the Orange Cap.
At just 15 years and 65 days old, Sooryavanshi also set a new IPL record as the youngest Orange Cap winner. The previous record was held by Gujarat Titans opener Sudharsan, who won it at 23 years and 231 days in 2025, while Shubman Gill had set the record in 2023 at 23 years and 263 days. Speaking to ANI following Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) back-to-back IPL title win over the Titans in the 2026 final, Sharma said, "He's a brilliant player, an extraordinary player, and it was a pleasure to see him give such a wonderful performance at such a young age." Sooryavanshi dominated the awards at the conclusion of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, being named the Most Valuable Player, Emerging Player of the Season, Super Striker of the Season, Orange Cap winner, and Super Sixes of the Season. The 15-year-old Bihar-born batter had an extraordinary tournament for Rajasthan Royals, finishing as the highest run-scorer with 776 runs at an exceptional strike rate of 237.30. Sooryavanshi's consistent performances, including a record-breaking 72 sixes, helped him surpass several long-standing IPL records and establish himself as one of the most promising talents in Indian cricket. Sooryavanshi narrowly missed matching Virat Kohli's tally of four centuries in a season, having been dismissed in the nineties three times--93 against Lucknow Super Giants, 97 in the Eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad, and 96 in Qualifier 2 versus Gujarat Titans--besides his century against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Sooryavanshi also reached the milestone of 1,000 IPL runs in record time, taking just 440 balls, surpassing West Indies legend Andre Russell. In terms of innings, he became the second fastest, achieving it in 23 innings, with Shaun Marsh holding the record at 21 innings. "It feels good, but I feel a bit under pressure having to give the interview. I am not drinking milk nowadays. How to play each game, you can't play every game the same way. If I have to stay injury-free, I have to work on my fitness. Everyone is very supportive. All senior players, support staff, everyone backs me, and it's a good atmosphere," Sooryavanshi said after winning the Most Valuable Player of the season award. Coming to the IPL 2026 final, Put to bat first by RCB, GT scored just 155/8 in 20 overs, with Washington Sundar (50* in 37 balls, with five fours) and Nishant Sindhu (20 in 18 balls, with three fours) being the only ones to cross the 20-run mark. Rasikh Dar Salam (3/27), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/29) and Josh Hazlewood (2/37) took wickets regularly. RCB started off well with a 62-run stand between Venkatesh Iyer (32 in 16 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) and Virat Kohli. GT showed some fight, reducing RCB to 132/5 at one point, but Virat (75* in 42 balls, with nine fours and three sixes) guided RCB to a win with two overs left. This is RCB's second IPL title win and overall their fourth Indian franchise cricket trophy, including two Women's Premier League (WPL) titles. (ANI)
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