Former player Navjot Singh Sidhu lauded the young Rajasthan Royals batter, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, highlighting his fearless approach in the Indian Premier League. He is one of the players to watch out for in IPL 2026, considering what he did in the previous season and the U19 World Cup in Zimbabwe.

The youthpaw made his IPL debut for RR last year and soon impressed everyone, following his record-breaking hundred against the Gujarat Titans.

Purchased over INR 1 crore in the mega auction, he didn’t disappoint the management of the franchise. As a 14-year-old, he amassed over 200 runs after replacing Sanju Samson as an opener and didn’t look back.

He dominated bowlers while playing for India’s U19 side and accumulated over 400 runs in the global tournament, with the sub-continent team lifting the trophy.

Sidhu was taken aback after listening to Sooryavanshi’s conversation with one of his teammates.

“Vaibhav Sooryavanshi hit the first ball on his debut for a six.

Even Sachin (Tendulkar) couldn’t do it. I haven’t seen anyone doing it,” Sidhu said on Star Sports.

Legendary batter also recalled Vaibhav’s conversation with one of his teammates. “I was listening to his conversation. He asked his teammate whether he had hit a six on the first ball of the match, leaving him surprised. The moment Vaibhav got a chance, he slammed the first ball of his debut match for a six. He is fearless,” Sidhu added.

Sidhu also compared the player with Virender Sehwag, who was renowned for his match-winning abilities with the bat.

“Sehwag was also fearless. He never cared about his wicket and went after the bowlers from the first ball of the innings,” he concluded.

Sooryavanshi will open the batting with Yashasvi Jaiswal, who is another talented Indian cricketer in the cash-rich league.