When Vaibhav Sooryavanshi  will step onto the field against the Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday, he is likely to recall the memories of the last IPL season. It was agaist the same team the 15-year-old made his mark, blasting a 35-ball century, the fastest by an Indian in IPL history. The left-hander has carried that momentum into IPL 2026, opening his season with a half-century for Rajasthan Royals against Chennai Super Kings.

During Friday’s practice session ahead of the Gujarat fixture, Sooryavanshi was in high spirits, chatting with Jos Buttler and Prasidh Krishna. But it was his interaction with Gujarat Titans coach Ashish Nehra that immediately caught the eye. When Sooryavanshi and Nehra noticed each other on the ground, they quickly decided to have a conversation. The young batter paid his respects to the former Indian pacer by touching his feet.

Nehra seemed genuinely impressed by the meeting gave a warm hug to Vaibhav.

Sooryavanshi patiently listened to the conversation between Jaiswal and Prasidh. The young prodigy was eager to catch every word.

Since his IPL debut last year, Sooryavanshi has consistently impressed. Following his T20 exploits, the left-hander scored freely in Youth ODIs against England, Australia, and South Africa. He then produced a sensational 175 off 80 balls in the U19 World Cup final against England, guiding India to another title.

Many expected Sooryavanshi to face challenges in IPL 2026. The young Bihar batter, however, proved his critics wrong, crushing CSK’s bowling attack in Guwahati with a blistering 50 off just 15 balls.“The coaches didn’t tell me that the bowlers would target me.