Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra showered praise on  Vaibhav Suryavanshi after Rajasthan Royals suffered a seven-wicket loss against Gujarat Titans in the second qualifier at New Chandigarh on Friday.

Suryavanshi continued his rich form, as he scored another impressive knock of 96 runs off 47 balls. The left-handed batsman scored eight fours and seven sixes in his mature knock as the pitch was conducive for the seamers.

Suryavanshi gathered a total of 776 runs in 16 matches of IPL 2026 and he ended the season as the leading run-getter of the tournament.

“I thought he was absolutely stellar. This was the most mature knock of his life. There is a saying in English that maturity belies your age, and he showed that by doing it. This was a difficult inning. The ball was darting around slightly. It was repeatedly hitting the inside edge of the bat, but he didn’t stop. He didn’t say he would slog and get out. Wickets kept falling from the other end, but he kept going,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel. 

“He started playing the field because Gujarat’s plans were excellent. He hit a straight six with a tennis shot, and then a straight four and shots over cover. This was an innings of really high quality. It wasn’t a hundred, but it wasn’t less than that. Viabhav was absolutely brilliant, and it seemed like he had tears in his eyes in the end because they didn’t win the trophy,” he added.

The renowned commentator added that GT openers can leapfrog Suryavanshi in the Orange Cap race  as they will play the IPL final against RCB. 

“The Orange Cap is on his head currently, but there is no guarantee that it will remain, and that is why I was saying that you should end it in the league phase. Now, Shubman Gill or Sai Sudharsan can also get it, and both will play the final. They will play an extra match,” he said.

Suryavanshi would aim to carry the good show in the upcoming tournaments.