Watch: IPL 2026: “Head still…” – Aaron Finch breaks down Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s six-hitting ability

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi came into the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 with lots of excitement and craze, having done a great job in the last edition and coming off a superb U19 World Cup 2026. And he blasted against some of the best bowlers of world cricket during the clash between the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and the Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi slammed a fine knock of 39 runs in just 14 deliveries at a strike rate of 278.57, thanks to five over boundaries and one boundary as he continued the dominance from the World Cup and the last IPL.

Aaron Finch analyses youngster’s clean hitting technique

The former Australian captain, Aaron Finch, has broken down the ability and power of Sooryavanshi, who used a high back lift and has instilled fear among the bowlers. He put the first ball of Jasprit Bumrah into the stands. 

“Let’s break down what makes Vaibhav Sooryavanshi so special with his hand speed and bat speed. It generates so much power, particularly inside the powerplay. He gets away to a flyer all the time. The key to his batting is that he keeps his hands nice and high. You notice that the toe of his bat goes up in the air. What that does is that it takes a lot of the weight out of your hand, which means he doesn’t have to repick the bat up.” Finch expressed on ESPNcricinfo.

Watch the video here: 

“He gets into position, and he gets the toe of his bat nice and high. It’s up there, and from that position, a free swing. Take note of his head position and how still his head is at the point of release. His eyes aren’t there, and his head isn’t falling over.” He added.

Finch shed light on how the still head and the high back lift decrease the weight of the southpaw’s bat, as he could bring it down easily for the free swing. 

“So, he stands and gets in a nice position with the hands up, head is dead still. And that gives him so many options. Sometimes left-handers get a blind spot on their hip. He doesn’t seem to have it because if he keeps his head still, he can swing it from there.” The Bihar-born addressed.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been in splendid form in IPL 2026

Sooryavanshi started the IPL 2026 campaign with a dashing knock of 52 runs in just 17 balls at a strike rate of 305.88, thanks to four boundaries and five over boundaries. That helped the RR complete the chase of 128 runs against CSK in 12.1 overs by eight wickets.

See Also: Watch: Dale Steyn reflects on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's batting

In the second encounter, the opener slammed 31 runs in just 18 balls, with five fours and one six against the Gujarat Titans (GT), while in the third fixture, which was curtailed to 11 overs, he nailed 39 runs in 14 deliveries, shouldering on five sixes and one boundary.