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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s incredible rise in IPL 2026 has left the cricket world stunned, and now former Australian captain Michael Clarke has made a massive statement about the teenage sensation. Clarke believes the Rajasthan Royals star has already become the most valuable young player in the world.
At just 15 years of age, Vaibhav achieved what many experienced players can only dream of. The youngster dominated IPL 2026 with fearless batting, finishing as the tournament’s highest run-scorer. He helped Rajasthan Royals to reach the playoffs after a disappointing campaign last year.
Michael Clarke says no player would be worth more than Vaibhav Sooryavanshi at IPL Auction
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi finished his incredible season with a stunning 776 runs from 16 matches at an average of 48.50 and an unbelievable strike rate of 237.30. Clarke was left amazed by Vaibhav’s fearless style of batting and said that the teenage batting sensation is the hottest property in the IPL.
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Michael Clarke said on the Beyond 23 Cricket Podcast, “He’s definitely the talk of this year’s IPL. The poor kid was in tears when RR got knocked out, but he can hold his head high, as he had a stellar year. If the big auction was there this year and he was in it, I don’t think you pay anyone else more than him.”
This young kid will inspire the next generation: Clarke wants India to fast-track Vaibhav
He also noted that cricket gets a special talent once in a generation, a player capable of inspiring millions of young fans around the world, and the left-hander is that kind of player. Notably, Vaibhav is all set to be seen in action for India A in the one-day tri-series in Sri Lanka A, involving Afghanistan A as well.
Clarke added, “Every generation has that special player like Viv Richards, Shane Warne, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, or Jacques Kallis, who is so influential to kids around the world. Similarly, this young kid will inspire the next generation of young boys and girls all around the world.”
The cricket pundit also urged the BCCI and the national selectors to allow Vaibhav to be around India’s T20I setup, saying, ‘He’s good enough to already be playing in the shortest format for India.’ He believes the youngster is already good enough to be around the national team environment and gain valuable experience by training and traveling with senior stars.
Michael Clarke predicts massive future for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
The former Australian skipper also predicted a huge future for the Rajasthan Royals batter. He believes Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has the talent to succeed not only in T20 cricket but also in ODIs and Test cricket. The legendary batter also highlighted his smart innings against the Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2.
Clarke signed off by saying, “He will be good enough to play all three formats and dominate in all of them for India. He’s too talented and reads the game so well. In the Second Qualifier, he didn’t have the perfect batting conditions.”
“He still managed to get a 90 off 40-odd balls. He showed game awareness and the skill to not just stand and smack every ball for six in the powerplay. It’s going to be tough for Rajasthan to keep him because everyone wants him.”
