Vaibhav Suryavanshi: Gavaskar Heaps Praise, Calls Him 'Best Memory' of IPL 2026!

Cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar is all praises for IPL 2026's wonder kid, Vaibhav Suryavanshi. Gavaskar said the youngster's record-breaking 72 sixes were his best memory of the season. In return, Suryavanshi revealed that stories of Gavaskar's own fearless batting were his biggest inspiration.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi

Mumbai: With the IPL 2026 season now done and dusted, Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar has once again heaped praise on the tournament's breakout star, Vaibhav Suryavanshi. The former Indian captain said that his most cherished memory from this year's IPL will be Suryavanshi's incredible six-hitting spree. Even though his team, the Rajasthan Royals, bowed out in the qualifiers, Suryavanshi made sure he was the biggest story of IPL 2026 with a performance that rewrote the history books.

Talking about Suryavanshi's performance, Gavaskar said, ''From this season, the one person I will always remember is Suryavanshi. The way he batted, the 72 sixes he smashed, and the 500 runs he scored in the powerplay alone are just unbelievable. For a 15-year-old, this is an extraordinary achievement. It’s a sign of a very bright future for Indian cricket.'' Suryavanshi, who won the Orange Cap with 776 runs, created a new record by hitting 72 sixes, breaking Chris Gayle's previous record of 59.

What stood out about Suryavanshi's batting was how he faced the world's fastest bowlers without any fear. During a post-season chat with Gavaskar, Suryavanshi revealed that it was stories of the legend's own batting that gave him this strength. Suryavanshi said his father used to tell him stories of how Gavaskar faced the deadly West Indian pace bowlers without a helmet. Hearing these stories helped him develop a mindset where he didn't need to be afraid of fast bowling or bouncers.

Suryavanshi's thinking was simple: if Gavaskar could do it back in the day without proper safety equipment, then today's players, with all their modern protective gear, should be able to face pace bowling with confidence.