India, March 31 -- Heading into the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season, all anyone could talk about was whether Vaibhav Sooryavanshi would suffer from a second-season syndrome and whether his performance would dip in the T20 tournament. However, the 15-year-old laid all concerns to rest in Rajasthan Royals' opening match itself, hitting a half-century off just 15 balls. The left-handed batter eventually scored 52 runs off 17 balls, helping the Riyan Parag-led side to make light work of the 128-run chase, winning the match with eight wickets in hand and more than seven overs to spare.

Sooryavanshi, who became the youngest to score a T20 century last IPL season, has now also forced former India batter Mohammad Kaif to change his tune ...