South Africa Great Names Top Pick For IPL 2026 Orange Cap. Not Virat Kohli Or Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Former South Africa cricket team skipper Graeme Smith backed Abhishek Sharma to win the IPL 2026 Orange Cap ahead of Rajasthan Royals' 15-year-old sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
Former South Africa cricket team skipper Graeme Smith has backed Abhishek Sharma to win the IPL 2026 Orange Cap ahead of Rajasthan Royals' 15-year-old sensation, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Both Abhishek and Sooryavanshi have enjoyed brilliant runs of form in the ongoing tournament, and they remain firmly in the race to become the top run-scorers in the competition. While Abhishek is currently third on the list with 475 runs from 11 matches, Sooryavanshi is fifth with 440 runs at an astonishing strike rate of 236.55. Smith noted that despite a somewhat muted performance in the recent T20 World Cup, Abhishek still has a major chance of becoming the highest run-scorer in IPL 2026, pointing out that openers generally have a better shot at the Orange Cap.
"We're seeing a great race for the Orange Cap this season, and despite his struggles in the World Cup and the impressive (Vaibhav) Sooryavanshi, I think Abhishek Sharma will have the best chance. Those at the top of the order always have a longer time to bat, so any dip in form means you could have a chance to get it back quickly. I certainly think that's the case on these flat pitches where there's not a lot in the surface," Smith said in his SA20 column.
Heinrich Klaasen is currently leading the list with 494 runs, while KL Rahul is second with 477 runs.
"Sharma plays a lot more square than most batters, certainly over the off-side. But there's a lack of fear in the youngsters these days; there are so many across the board who are pinging it from the word go," Smith added.
Earlier, Ravichandran Ashwin hailed Rajasthan Royals (RR) 15-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, pointing out his ability to be calculative and not show any hesitation against big bowlers while playing at such a young age. The ex-spinner also said that the left-hander should try his hand in red-ball cricket as well.
Ashwin was speaking on JioHotstar's 'The Ravichandran Ashwin Experience'. The youngest IPL player in history at the age of 14, Sooryavanshi, made his debut against Lucknow Super Giants, smashing Shardul Thakur for a gigantic first-ball six to start his IPL journey in style. He was also notably Ashwin's last IPL wicket, having scored a half-century against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Delhi.
Since then, Sooryavanshi has developed as a more fearless player, taking down top-class bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah, Josh Hazlewood, Marco Jansen, and Arshdeep Singh with unmatched audacity, not hesitating in hitting them for fours and sixes, even if it means going after them from ball one.
Speaking on the programme, Ashwin said about getting the wicket of this fearless prodigy and being impressed with the adjustments he would make in his game in the middle of a delivery being bowled.
(With ANI inputs)
Graeme Smith