TimesofIndia.com at Milanpur: Vibhu Suryavanshi’s brilliant IPL 2026 campaign may be over. Rajasthan Royals Falling short in Qualifier 2, but the buzz surrounding the 15-year-old has only grown louder. After another composed knock under pressure in the high-stakes playoffs, the Rajasthan Royals head coach Kumar Sangakkara The youngster’s future was given perhaps the strongest endorsement yet, declaring that he is “more than ready” for any challenge, including an India call-up.The Rajasthan Royals opener scored 776 runs in 16 innings at a strike rate of 237.30 including a century and five fifties. Suryavanshi’s season has been one of the defining stories of the tournament. He ended his campaign with another solid innings when Rajasthan needed him the most. At the Milanpore Stadium, where the pitch was at twice the pace in the first innings, as wickets continued to tumble around him, the youngster withstood the pressure and steered his team to a competitive total. He scored a 47-ball 96 against Gujarat Titans (GT), following a 19-ball 97 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the same venue a few days earlier. Sangakkara, who is Rajasthan Royals’ director of cricket as well as head coach, was impressed with Suryavanshi’s handling of the situation.“I thought he batted brilliantly today. It was a very tough innings with wickets falling around him and he held his nerve and really got us to a defendable total,” Sangakkara said after the match.What stands out, according to the former Sri Lankan captain, is not just the youngster’s shot-making ability but his understanding of the game.“The boy, 15 years old, is very intelligent, he reads the game well, he reads situations well and he has no fear,” Sangakkara said.The question naturally arose: Is Suryavanshi ready for India?Sangakkara’s reply left no room for doubt.“You never know when someone is ready until they play. And with everything Vaibhav has done against the best bowlers in the world, I think he is ready to take on any challenge you throw at him.”The Royals coach went a step further, predicting that national recognition might not be far off.“I’m sure he’ll make that call very soon,” he said.Appreciation was not limited to Suryavanshi’s runs. Sangakkara highlighted the responsibility the youngster has played throughout the season, particularly at the top of the order.“He has batted with a lot of maturity. He has handled that opening partnership so well for us this season.”With the expectations surrounding the youngster steadily rising, Rajasthan Royals are already carefully planning for his development during the off-season. Sangakkara revealed that the franchise will create an individualized program for Suryavanshi that will cover fitness, skill development and workload management.Like every player in the squad, the youngster will have a customized roadmap developed in consultation with the Royals’ medical and coaching staff.“We will sit with our medical team and go through what he needs and then help him. We will run our camps, he will have a lot of opportunities to practice with us. So we will keep a close eye not only on Vibhu, but on all our players,” Sangakkara said. Sangakkara said.A great talent management, however, goes beyond batting drills and fitness sessions. In the age of social media, every innings, every failure and every success is magnified. Sangakkara said the franchise is conscious of protecting Suryavanshi from unnecessary distractions.“We don’t clutter his mind too much. He comes to all our team meetings, he contributes, he listens and he does a lot of homework. He practices well and he reads the bowlers well.”The former Sri Lanka captain asserted that maintaining a clear mind is crucial for a young player whose biggest strength is his fearless attitude.“We don’t want to put any unnecessary thoughts in his mind. A clear mind, batting with that guts, that’s exactly what we want to see from him.”For Sangakkara, coaching a 15-year-old is ultimately no different from coaching any elite cricketer. The focus is on understanding rather than overwhelming the individual with information.“It’s never good to overload people with information. So we keep things very simple when we can,” he said.If Suryavanshi’s IPL campaign proves anything, it is that simplicity, clarity and fearlessness can take a player far. And if Sangakkara’s guess is correct, the next stop could be the Indian dressing room in Ireland.
