Former Sri Lanka captain and Rajasthan Royals head coach Kumar Sangakkara said teenage batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is “more than ready” for international cricket after his record-setting IPL 2026 campaign, speaking after Rajasthan’s seven-wicket defeat to the Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2 on Friday.
“I think you never know if anyone’s ready until they play,” Sangakkara said. “With everything Vaibhav’s shown against some of the best bowlers in the world, I think he’s more than ready to take on any challenge that you throw at him.” Sangakkara said he expected a national-team call-up “in the near future,” praising the teenager’s maturity and his contribution at the top of the order.
Sooryavanshi finished the IPL 2026 group stage with 776 runs in 16 matches and is leading the Orange Cap race, although Gujarat Titans batters Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan still have a chance to overtake him in the final.
Sangakkara also said the Royals had put protective measures in place around the teenager, including shielding him from social-media scrutiny, so he could focus on his development. “He comes to all our team meetings, he contributes, he listens, and he does a lot of homework,” Sangakkara said. “He practises well, reads bowlers well and prepares himself thoroughly.”
Sangakkara, who has also been the subject of an unrelated deepfake investment scam this year, is in his second season as Royals head coach. The Rajasthan side’s exit at Qualifier 2 ends Sri Lankan involvement on the coaching staff for IPL 2026, with Matheesha Pathirana’s KKR campaign having earlier ended on the playing side after the franchise’s group-stage exit.
Sources: Newswire.
