Royal Challengers Bengaluru may have retained the IPL trophy, but according to former England captain and Gujarat Titans wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler, one teenager overshadowed every other storyline in the tournament. Speaking on the YouTube podcast For The Love of Cricket, Buttler reflected on the recently concluded IPL 2026 season and reserved special praise for 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, whose remarkable campaign captured the imagination of cricket fans across the world. While discussing RCB’s successful title defence and Gujarat Titans’ defeat in the final, Buttler made it clear that Sooryavanshi’s performances stood above everything else. “RCB won the trophy and they are the story of the IPL. But Vaibhav is nearly the IPL this year. He is the story of the tournament. MVP, 700-plus runs and at a faster strike rate than everyone else. It was amazing to watch,” he said. Although Rajasthan Royals were not involved in the title clash, Sooryavanshi was present at the Narendra Modi Stadium for the final on Sunday. The teenage sensation watched the match alongside ICC chairman Jay Shah before collecting five major individual awards for a season that rewrote several records. His numbers reflected the scale of his dominance. Sooryavanshi accumulated 776 runs during the season at a staggering strike rate of 237.3 and cleared the ropes 72 times. His performances earned him the Orange Cap, Most Valuable Player award, Emerging Player award, Super Striker award, and the distinction of finishing as the tournament’s leading six-hitter. Former England fast bowler Stuart Broad believes the youngster’s influence has already stretched far beyond the IPL. Broad suggested Sooryavanshi could be the first cricketer to achieve worldwide fame before earning an international cap. “I said in my last podcast that I have not seen a player become an international star without having played international cricket. In England, people are talking about him. They may not even be IPL fans, but they are saying, ‘Oh my God, have you seen Sooryavanshi? He’s unbelievable.’ He has become a world star. Not like Kohli or anything, but he is probably the first player to become a world star without playing international cricket,” Broad said. Buttler also revealed how enormous Sooryavanshi’s popularity has become in India. Recalling Rajasthan Royals’ fixture in Kolkata, he said the crowd’s support for the teenager was impossible to ignore. “His impact in India is massive. He is the guy everyone is talking about. I was chatting with Rajasthan Royals’ former owner Manoj Badale, who told me that in Kolkata, half the stadium had turned up to watch Vaibhav and they were all wearing his RR jersey. “Imagine that pressure at 15 when you get off the bus and see that, but he has soaked it all up. And when he bats, I don’t know whether Rajasthan Royals have done it or the tournament, but there is a song for him, this Sooryavanshi song, that comes on when he’s blasting you.” The former England skipper then admitted he would be eager to see the teenager included in India’s squad for next month’s five-match T20I series in England, even if that prospect may not be welcomed by England’s bowlers. “I hope to see him in England. Well, maybe not for our bowlers. But it will be worth it because you can see it among the players and support staff. Everyone is intrigued and I want to see this guy.” Whether that opportunity arrives remains uncertain. Sooryavanshi is set to feature in the upcoming India A one-day tri-series, a competition selectors reportedly view as an important assessment ahead of discussions over a possible T20I debut during the England tour.
