In Huge Praise For Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, World Cup Winner Namedrops Viv Richards, Kapil Dev
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been in terrific form this IPL season. He has scored 680 runs in 15 matches.
- Kris Srikkanth praised RR opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who has scored 680 runs in 15 matches
- "I've seen Viv Richards and Kapil Dev destroy attacks. But never seen someone as explosive as him," he said
- "Even Viv Richards and Kapil Dev didn't consistently destroy attacks like this," Srikkanth added
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi starred with a 97-run knock as all-round Rajasthan Royals outplayed Sunrisers Hyderabad by 47 runs in the Eliminator clash of IPL 2026 in Mullanpur on Wednesday. RR were invited to bat first in the game, and Sooryavanshi's stunning start took his opponents by surprise. He smashed five fours and 12 sixes in his knock, providing Rajasthan a sensational start. As a result, RR posted a mammoth total of 243 for 8 in the allotted 20 overs and bundled out SRH for 196 in 19.2 overs.
Former India opener and 1983 World Cup winner Krishnamachari Srikkanth heaped praise on Sooryavanshi and likened him to legendary players like Viv Richards and Kapil Dev.
While speaking on his YouTube channel, as quoted by Sportskeeda, Srikkanth said it is impossible for someone to replicate Sooryavanshi's performance.
"Now it's about what name can be given to him on the lines of Universe Boss or God of cricket. The whole world is praising him. What Gayle did in his career, this kid is beating in his second season. It'll be impossible for someone to beat what this kid is doing. He is not just slogging but playing very intelligent cricket," the fomer India opener said.
"He hasn't failed in consecutive innings this entire season and has scored in 11 out of the 15 innings. He is having the Orange Cap in his first full season itself. I've seen many players destroy attacks like Viv Richards and Kapil Dev. But I've never seen someone as explosive as him. Even Viv Richards and Kapil Dev didn't consistently destroy attacks like this," he added.
With the victory on Wednesday, RR set up a Qualifier 2 match with Gujarat Titans, who lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 92 runs in Qualifier 1.
While Sooryavanshi helped RR post 243, SRH couldn't bat well in the chase. In the second innings, Jofra Archer dented SRH's chase by removing the side's top three - Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head and Ishan Kishan. Pat Cummins and Co. never recovered from the blow and ended up being bundled out below 200.
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