Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan had a unique “theory” on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. On Monday night, he felt it finally held true after Sunrisers Hyderabad debutant Praful Hinge did what Jasprit Bumrah and Josh Hazlewood couldn’t — dismiss the Rajasthan Royals opener for a golden duck, the first of his T20 career.
Earlier this month, when Sooryavanshi smashed Bumrah for two sixes in five balls during an IPL 2026 game against the Mumbai Indians, Pathan had taken to social media to question whether the 15-year-old deliberately targets big-name bowlers.
“Does Vaibhav target big bowlers purposely? I like to think so,” he wrote, calling it “my theory.” He doubled down on it after Sooryavanshi gave Royal Challengers Bengaluru pacer Hazlewood similar treatment in Guwahati, smashing him for 19 runs in an over, including three boundaries and a six off consecutive deliveries.
Praful banged in a short delivery on middle and leg, and Sooryavanshi, rushing into a pull, only managed a top edge that ballooned straight up. Wicketkeeper Salil Arora settled under it and completed a simple catch as the youngster departed for a golden duck.
It was the first of three wickets Praful picked in the opening over of Rajasthan’s chase, making him the first bowler in IPL history to achieve the feat. He added a fourth in his next over, while fellow debutant Sakib Hussain triggered a lower-order collapse to seal SRH’s second win of the season.
Despite the rare failure, captain Riyan Parag insisted it was part of Sooryavanshi’s learning curve.
“I feel one thing you gain every time you step onto a cricket field is experience. Regardless of his age — he might be 15 — he has gained a lot from playing last year,” Parag said in the post-match press conference.
“Even from the sidelines, you understand how the game works, how the IPL works. He has played games, carried that momentum into the Under-19 World Cup and Asia Cups, and scored runs everywhere.
“I think he has earned a lot of experience from those situations — winning games, scoring big runs, like daddy hundreds.”
