Royal Challengers Bengaluru may have retained the IPL trophy, but according to former England captain and Gujarat Titans wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler, one youngster overshadowed every other story in the tournament. Speaking on the YouTube podcast For the Love of Cricket, Buttler reflected on the recently concluded IPL 2026 season and gave special praise to 15-year-old Vibhu Suryavanshi, whose spectacular campaign captured the imagination of cricket fans around the world. Discussing RCB’s successful title defense and defeat of Gujarat Titans in the final, Buttler made it clear that Suryavanshi’s performance was above all else. “RCB won the trophy and he is the story of the IPL. But Vaibhav is almost the IPL this year. He is the story of the tournament. The MVP, 700-plus runs and the highest strike rate. It was amazing to watch,” he said. Although Rajasthan Royals were not involved in the title clash, Suryavanshi was present at the Narendra Modi Stadium for the final on Sunday. The teenage sensation watched the match with ICC chairman Jay Shah before collecting five major individual awards in a season that rewrote several records. His numbers reflected the scale of his dominance. Suryavanshi scored 776 runs at an astonishing strike rate of 237.3 and cleared the ropes 72 times during the season. His performance earned him the Orange Cap, Most Valuable Player Award, Emerging Player Award, Super Striker Award, and finishing as the tournament’s leading six-hitter. Former England fast bowler Stuart Broad believes the youngster’s impact has already extended far beyond the IPL. Broad suggested that Suryavanshi could be the first cricketer to achieve worldwide fame before earning an international cap. “I said in my last podcast that I’ve never seen a player become an international star without playing international cricket. In England, people are talking about it. They might not even be IPL fans, but they’re saying, ‘Oh my God, have you seen Suryavanshi? He’s unbelievable.’ He has become a global star. Not like Kohli or anything, but he’s probably the first player to become a global star without playing international cricket,” Broad said. Butler also revealed how popular Suryavanshi has become in India. Recalling the Rajasthan Royals match in Kolkata, he said it was impossible for the youngster to ignore the crowd’s support. “His influence in India is huge. He is the man everyone is talking about. I was talking to former Rajasthan Royals owner Manoj Badle, who told me that in Kolkata, half the stadium came to see Vaibhav and they were all wearing his RR jersey. “Imagine the pressure when you get off the bus at 15 and see, but he’s blown away everything. And when he bats, I don’t know if it’s Rajasthan Royals or the tournament, but there’s a song for him, this Suryavanshi song, that comes on when he threatens you.” The former England captain then admitted that he would be keen to see the youngster in the Indian squad for the five-match T20I series in England next month, even if the prospect is not 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 the support staff. Everyone is interesting and I want to see the man.” Whether this opportunity remains uncertain. Suryavanshi is set to feature in the upcoming India A ODI tri-series, a competition the selectors reportedly see as an important assessment before discussing a possible T20I debut during the tour of England.
