What did Kohli say to Sooryavanshi after IPL 2026 final? De Villiers reveals

The former legendary batter of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Ab de Villiers, revealed what the current star batter of the franchise, Virat Kohli, told the 15-year-old upcoming star for Indian cricket, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, after the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, where Bengaluru sealed the victory to claim their second trophy.

Coming as the defending champions of the competition, the Rajat Patidar-led side continued their same mantra from the 2025 season and finished the league stage at the top of the points table before beating the Gujarat Titans in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

AB de Villiers breaks silence on Kohli–Sooryavanshi moment that went viral after IPL 2026 Final

Virat Kohli, who remained unbeaten on 75 runs in the 156-run chase with two overs to spare, shared a few moments with Sooryavanshi. He called the kid special and reckoned that he would have a very successful career in the future.

“Do you want to know what Virat said? I did have a brief chat with Virat, and as Vaibhav was walking up to the stage to receive his Orange Cap trophy, Virat raised his eyebrows and said, ‘AB, this kid is special. The boy can play.” De Villiers revealed Kohli’s secret words.

Not only Kohli, the GT captain, Shubman Gill, and their wicket-keeper batter, Jos Buttler, also claimed the same. The Bihar-born revealed that he had already started practicing with the red-ball, but no one has seen him doing it so far.

Can Vaibhav Sooryavanshi make his India debut at just 15 after a stunning IPL 2026?

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, while opening the batting for the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2026, ended the IPL 2026 as the leading run-getter of the competition. The left-handed batter smashed 776 runs in 16 innings at an average of 48.50 and a jaw-dropping strike rate of 237.50, thanks to five half-centuries and one century at the best score of 103 runs.

The southpaw nailed 72 sixes during the IPL 2026 campaign, which easily broke the previous record of Chris Gayle in 2012. He is also the fastest to complete 1000 runs in the IPL.

Now, the question stands what more he would need to do to earn a spot for the national side. He would fly to Sri Lanka to be part of the A-series of India, including Afghanistan. There are reports of him getting a call for the T20I series against Ireland and England in the senior side.

The BCCI secretary, Devajit Saikia, has also revealed that they would do everything possible to get the youngster in the senior Indian team. The expectation, however, will be much higher for the Bihar-born.