Former India keeper-batter Robin Uthappa claimed that the young sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will go down the hills in the upcoming Indian Premier League season. According to Uthappa’s prediction, the emerging batter will have to struggle to score runs in IPL 2026.
Whether it was the IPL or the Under-19 Team India, wherever Vaibhav Sooryavanshi went, he returned with a lot of records under his belt. The load of runs the batter achieved might be because of luck, in a recent television show, Uthappa claimed.
Robin Uthappa predicted that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will learn a lot in the IPL 2026 season
The former cricketer said that he observed every possible match of the opener over the past year, and he felt that Sooryavanshi was hugely backed by fortune. As the standards are set to increase in the upcoming days, and every other team and bowlers monitor his batting style, the Bihar-born can get a good lesson in the IPL 2026 season when they will feature for the Rajasthan Royals.
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“I have been keenly observing every game Vaibhav has played over the last 12 months. He is phenomenal. But if you are going to watch him bat, I feel he is riding his luck a little bit. And when the standard gets a little bit higher, a little tougher, and people now know where to bowl to him”, Uthappa said on Star Sports.
“The novelty has worn off. I think that right now, he is riding that luck a little bit, which is fine. I think this season will be educational for him and will serve him in the long run. He will still score runs, but I don’t think he will be all that he was last year”, he added.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi carried on his form in the U-19 ICC ODI World Cup as well
In contrast to Robin Uthappa’s predictions, the recent stats are hinting at a completely different scenario. The left-handed top order batter, breaking multiple records in IPL history, scored 252 runs from seven games at an average of 36 and a strike rate of 206.55 with a hundred and a half-century in the last season for Rajasthan Royals.
The batting sensation recently claimed the U-19 ICC ODI World Cup title as well. In the final match of the tournament, he smashed 175 runs off just 80 balls against England in Harare, powering India to a 100-run victory and their sixth U19 title. His brilliant knock was decorated with 15 sixes and 15 fours.
Irfan Pathan opposed Robin Uthappa’s predictions on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Irfan Pathan, a former teammate of Uthappa, had different opinions. Pathan felt that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi would continue his fiery form in the IPL 2026 season as well.
“Even after the IPL, you maintain the same run wherever you play, and that is where he gives me a lot of confidence. If it were up and down here, then I would be afraid. I really think he will make another fast half-century minimum, or even a century”, Irfan Pathan said.
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