Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has emerged as one of the brightest young stars of IPL 2026, scoring 440 runs in just 11 innings at the age of 15. While his bold batting has attracted attention across the tournament, former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar believes there is a growing concern about how the youngster is being exploited in the franchise.Sooryavanshi has been used largely as an impact player, coming in primarily as a batsman and rarely fielding. Manjrekar feels that this may hamper a child’s overall development as a cricketer, stressing that fielding is an equally important part of the game.“I increasingly feel that the Impact Player rule should be reconsidered for this reason as well. Is this all we want to see from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, just one aspect of his game? A cricketer is someone who bats well and bowls well as well,” Manjrekar said on the Sportstar Insight Edge Podcast.
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He explained that previous generations of players were judged on all aspects of their game, not just hitting ability. “We respected players like Inzamam-ul-Haq for their batting, but we also saw their playing style and other aspects of their game. That helped people evaluate the player properly. Nowadays, someone can come and face a few balls, showcase his batting ability, and then disappear without showing the other side of his cricket,” he added.
Manjrekar also said that young players should also face pressure situations on the field, including dealing with mistakes and learning from them.“We don’t expect to see the three dimensions of a player. But the more you think about it, it all makes sense, and you’re right, Suryavanshi, you want to see him on the field and see what’s happening and he’s under pressure as well. If he’s a great batsman, but he has a slight responsibility on the field, I would like to see that exploited.”
This is also something we have experienced as players when we drop the tension that comes with it, which will be tough and scary.
“You don’t want one of the highest levels of the sport to be that easy,” he added.The former Indian pacer also pointed out that international cricket requires complete cricketers and not specialists who only contribute in one discipline. According to him, the royal family may have unintentionally limited Sooryavanshi’s growth by using him only as an influence player.“Definitely (is making him play as an impact player hinders his growth as a player). And that is an issue that will be there. India won the T20 World Cup despite having the impact player rule there, even though a guy like Shivam Dubey doesn’t bowl at all, he still does well in the T20 World Cup. So things happen. But I think a cricketer, not some guy, will come and bowl, bend it, take a break and enjoy life.”
“I just wanted to be an extra test for every player, not only if he is a good bowler, and bowls 4 balls, I would like to see him on the field as well,” concluded Manjrekar.
