Gujarat Titans talisman Jos Buttler showered praise on Vaibhav Suryavanshi after the recently concluded season. Vaibhav scored 96 runs off 47 balls against Gujarat Titans in the second qualifier at New Chandigarh on a tricky pitch, which had assistance for the fast bowlers, especially in the first innings.
The prodigy batter ended the IPL 2026 season with 776 runs in 16 matches at an average of 48.50 and a blistering strike rate of 237.30. He ended as the leading run-getter in the tournament and thus bagged the Orange Cap. Along with it, he was awarded the MVP of the tournament, Super Striker of the Season, Emerging Player of the season, and also bagged the award for the most sixes (72) in the season.
“Vaibhav, I think, took home five or six of those trophies. RCB are obviously the story of the IPL because they won it, but I feel like Vaibhav almost was the IPL this year,” Buttler said on For the Love of Cricket podcast.
“At his age, to be MVP of the tournament, score 700-plus runs, more than anyone else, and at a faster strike rate than everyone else, it was amazing to watch.”
The former RR batter hailed Suryavanshi’s impact in the tournament and praised the youngster for delivering the goods for the franchise.
“His impact is unbelievable. Seeing it in India, he’s the guy everyone’s talking about,” Buttler said.
“I was chatting to Rajasthan Royals owner Manoj Badale and he was saying that in Kolkata, half the stadium had turned up just to watch Vaibhav. People were wearing Rajasthan Royals shirts with his name on the back. Imagine that pressure at 15.”
Buttler lauded the youngster for handling the pressure with guile at such a young age.
“He seems to soak it all up. There’s even a song that plays when he’s batting. Whether Rajasthan Royals created it or the tournament did, I don’t know. But it’s all part of the show. The level of fame he’s achieved before playing international cricket just shows the pull of the IPL and how big it is.”
Suryavanshi would aim to carry the good show in the upcoming matches, and he is definitely in contention to get his maiden India call-up.
