BCCI receives urgent appeal to fly Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to England
Michael Vaughan rarely throws words to the wind, especially when it comes to young talent. But here, the former England captain himself couldn’t resist: after the opening match of the IPL 2026, BCCI receives urgent appeal to fly Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to England. Not as a tourist, but as a full member of the national team—even if only on the bench, even if only for a few matches. Vaughn believes that this guy has already outgrown the youth level, and waiting another year or two means voluntarily depriving himself of a player who can turn any game around in a couple of overs.
BCCI receives urgent appeal to fly Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to England: Guwahati
Rajasthan Royals hosted Chennai Super Kings, and everything seemed to follow the classic scenario: the visitors scored just 127, and the hosts began the chase calmly. But the calm lasted only one ball. On the second delivery, Sooryavanshi, who came out to open with Yashasvi Jaiswal, simply sent the ball out of bounds. And then there were 52 runs off 17 balls, a 15-point half-century and a 75-run partnership in the opening 4.2 overs. Meanwhile, Jaiswal, who has already played more than 50 matches for India in all formats, scored his 38 off 36 balls. This is why BCCI receives urgent appeal to fly Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to England.
“When you see someone who’s been among the world’s best all-around players for years, and suddenly there’s a gap in fearlessness between them, that says something,” Vaughan remarked on Cricbuzz. He emphasized that Jaiswal had to watch the ball, wait, while this teenager was simply looking where to launch the next six. And, by the way, after the match, Suryavanshi himself mentioned that it was his senior partner who told him not to get distracted by singles and doubles, but to continue hitting the ball when it was heading into the strike zone.
BCCI receives urgent appeal to fly Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to England: early or already time
A natural question arises: isn’t it too early? Moreover, exactly a year ago, many experts, including Mohammad Kaif, called for not giving in to the hype. Kaif, known for his old-fashioned approach, frankly wrote: “I thought the guy was being overheated, that there was no need to rush into pushing him.” But after the match against Chennai, the former national team player admitted: “After a year, I think he’s ready to move on to the next level. This 15-year-old boy knows how to entertain and win matches on his own.”
Indeed, Suryavanshi has not only a successful start to the second season of the IPL under his belt. In the last 12 months, he managed to win the Junior World Cup, and did it in a one-against-all style: 175 runs in the final against England, 80 balls, and 15 sixes. Then there were clashes with fast bowlers in Australia and South Africa — and everywhere the same picture: the young man seems not to notice either the level of the opponent or the status of the match. His 35-run century in the last IPL, when he was dismantling the title-winning team against experienced bowlers, no longer seems like a fluke.
In his recommendation, Vaughn went beyond simply saying “he’s ready to play.” He asked a question that could become a bureaucratic problem: is a 15-year-old player even allowed to attend adult training camps? Formally, yes, if he’s part of the national team. But BCCI will have to decide how much risk they’re willing to take. Because even Vaughan himself doesn’t insist that the guy has to start in the three T20Is against England. He’s talking about something else: “Just take him with you. Let us feel the atmosphere and be close to the leading players. And then, if he gets one or two games, it will be absolutely fantastic.”
The difficulty is that the line between “bringing up a promising player” and “breaking a still-fragile psyche” has always been thin in Indian cricket. There are too many examples where a loud start was followed by a long decline. But here even the cautious Kaif changes his position, and this is a significant sign. Moreover, Suryavanshi’s performance in Guwahati demonstrated that he can not only hit, but also listen. And when a 15-year-old newcomer follows the instructions of a partner who has already accumulated almost 3,000 international runs, this, you must agree, speaks of a maturity that cannot be measured in numbers.
BCCI receives urgent appeal to fly Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to England, but now it’s up to them. There are still a few months left before the white-ball tour in England, and formally there is enough time to think about it. But if we take into account not only the IPL, but the entire national team schedule, then a decision needs to be made quickly. Vaughan is right about one thing: if you wait for the perfect moment, you can miss the moment when the player is eager and already psychologically ready for the challenge. English stands, fast pitches, and perhaps a debut against the very same team he destroyed in the U19 final—it sounds like a scenario you couldn’t have contrived.
