Michael Vaughan hails Vaibhav Suryavanshi, says he is the benchmark of T20 opening batters in the world

Former England skipper Michael Vaughan has showered praise on Rajasthan Royals opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi for his consistent performances in the league stage of the ongoing IPL 2026. The youngster ended the league phase with 583 runs in 14 games at an average of 41.64 and a strike rate of 232.27. The left-hander’s strike rate is the best among the regular batters in the ongoing season.

Furthermore, Suryavanshi’s tally is the highest ever in the IPL for any teenage batter. However, the prodigy batter was dismissed after scoring only four runs against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Sunday.

Michael Vaughan said on Cricbuzz, “I’ve been fortunate to be around the Rajasthan team the last couple of days and I’ve asked all the players how good he is,” Vaughan said on Cricbuzz. “Those who have been on the other end, they say he’s just incredible. One or two just said he’s the best they’ve seen at the other end – in terms of the way that he strikes a ball, the purity of hitting a cricket ball. You talk about world-class players in that team as well, who are saying it. So he’s not a myth.

Vaughan added that teams want opening batters like Vaibhav Suryavanshi in their team as he can give them a head start.

“He is the modern version of what T20 cricket is. I think teams are now looking for a Sooryavanshi, Finn Allen, you know, to strike it over 200, 220 plus. That’s going to be the future of T20 cricket, and he’s driven it. He’s driven that drive to make sure that the strike rates have been pushed and pushed. Could you get to 300? Who knows, in time, in terms of a strike rate. But he is certainly the benchmark now for opening batters in the world of T20,” he added.

RR have posted 205 runs on the board against MI.