New Delhi: Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s jaw-dropping 776 runs in the season IPL 2026 has not only caught the attention of the Indian selectors, who included him in the squad for the Ireland and England T20Is, but also former players. Sachin Tendulkar The young man has been praised repeatedly. Former South African fast bowler Dale Steyn was also stunned by the left-hander’s brilliant scoring.A gung-ho Stan believes Suryavanshi has even better going than Tendulkar and Virat Kohli. “Vibhu Suryavanshi is different gravy, man,” he said when asked if any Proteas player could match Suryavanshi’s level. “He is better than most international players at the moment. He is a one-man wonder, a treasure for Indian cricket,” he added during an interaction facilitated by SA20 in the lead-up to Season 5.“You think about guys like Sachin, you think about guys like Virat, and this kid is going to explode. He’s going to be bigger than both of them at the end of his career,” he continued.Read this also At 15, Vibhu Suryavanshi isn’t just scoring runs – he’s redefining batting.Even so, with Suryavanshi potentially set to make his international debut and beat Tendulkar’s 37-year-old record, the former seamer advised that it be handled with care.Steyn, who played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Deccan Chargers and Gujarat Lions in the IPL, said, “I would caution how you handle it and how you look after it because with great responsibility comes great reward. But there is a great risk that if you don’t look after it well, you could lose it at some point.”
You think about guys like Sachin, you think about guys like Virat, and this kid is going to explode. He’s going to be bigger than the two of them combined.
Dale Stein on Vaibhav Suryavanshi
Many bowlers tried and failed to improve Suryavanshi during the IPL season. The Rajasthan Royals opener scored 776 runs at 237.30 at an average of 48.50 in 16 matches. With 72 sixes, he broke Chris Gayle’s record for most sixes in an IPL season.So, how do you stop it? No one better to answer that than Steyn — who took 699 wickets in Tests, ODIs and T20Is. The 42-year-old admitted that he had not seen enough of Suryavanshi to formulate a game plan but found Kagiso Rabada’s strategy to be the most suitable.“I think KG (Rabada) bowled well for him, where you try him here,” he said, pointing to his mind. “You’ve got to test him on the upside. He’s still young. He’s only 14, and if you can put a little fear factor into the game, cricket is a fear factor game. If you go into the game scared, if you’re scared of somebody, scared of just bowling in front of them or scared of facing them, it can make you do stupid things. It can silence your mind. So the short ball towards him is a good option,” explained Steyn.‘If it ain’t broke, why fix it?’
Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) players thank the Orange Army fans during the SA20 Season 4 match 29 between Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) and MI Cape Town (MICT) at St George’s Park. (Sportzpics)
Steyn has repeatedly advocated the development of fan culture during the SA20, where not only the teams but also the fan culture has improved over the past four seasons.Steyn said St George’s Park, home of the Sunrisers Eastern Cape, was one of the most supported grounds. He also talked a lot about Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, all trying to outdo the other.With this in mind, he doesn’t think moving a game to India, for example, as the Big Bash League (BBL) is planning to do, would be a wise move.“I would find it hard to rob the South Africans of a game. The Indians have the IPL, it’s the biggest competition. So for them to watch the Big Bash, I’m sure they’ll go and watch it, but they’ve been spoiled by the IPL; they’ve had enough cricket.
Pretoria Capitals players celebrate during match 28 of the SA20 Season 4 at the Wanderers Cricket Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Sportzpics for SA20)
“Giving them another game, while taking it away from the South Africans. When support is so important in South Africa, you may just be shooting yourself in the foot.“Maybe what we should look at world-wise, and I don’t know if it’s possible again, but how about the Champions League T20, where it was the best teams from around the world, and you play together in a short tournament. You can play it in India because the TV and the Indian support is crazy. That, I would say, is a more viable option going forward.“Maybe the Big Bash is dying a slow death, and they are just trying to revive the competition. I think the players will enjoy playing it in Chennai. (But) I don’t think that will be an option for the SA20. I think it is working really well in South Africa and as the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
