India, March 14 -- Vaibhav Sooryavanhsi heads into the new IPL season in a very different place from where he stood a year ago. Then, he was the fearless teenager breaking into the Rajasthan Royals setup and catching attacks off guard. Now, he walks in as a batter every opponent has seen, studied and started planning for. That shift in context is what gives Robin Uthappa's latest assessment of the young batter its bite. Vaibhav's breakout season was impossible to ignore. 252 runs in seven IPL 2025 matches at a strike rate of 206.55, with a 35-ball hundred against the Gujarat Tutans that instantly turned him from prospect into headline material.

Robin Uthappa, speaking on Star Sports, put the situation bluntly. "I have been keenly observi...