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How many catches has Vaibhav Sooryavanshi taken in IPL 2026? Mohammad Kaif questions RR teen's fielding standards originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Mohammad Kaif flags RR's Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has not taken a single catch this IPL season.
- His misfields against Delhi Capitals have put him under the scanner.
- Sooryavanshi is set to feature for India A in an ODI tri-series in Sri Lanka next month
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's fielding under the microscope as India call-up looms large
Mohammad Kaif, a man who built much of his reputation on his electric work in the field during his playing days, took to social media after Rajasthan Royals' defeat to Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday night to voice his concern about Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's fielding.
His rise has been one of the most talked-about stories in Indian cricket, and an international debut is now a matter of when, not if.
MORE: DC vs RR IPL 2026: Score, result and highlights as Delhi Capitals keep playoff hopes alive with a win over Rajasthan Royals
But as the 15-year-old inches closer to wearing the blue jersey, a part of his game that tends to get buried under the excitement of his big-hitting is drawing serious attention, i.e. his fielding, or rather the worrying absence of it.
Kaif pointed out that Sooryavanshi had misfielded during the match and, more strikingly, had not held a single catch across the entire IPL season.
"Vaibhav Sooryavanshi too misfielded. The young boy hasn't taken a catch this season. While playing for India, he needs to be sharper on the field. It is the duty of coaches to teach youngsters fielding skills. On their part, the boys should enjoy fielding and take pride in it," Kaif wrote on X.
Kaif described the overall fielding on display as ordinary and not upto the mark.
"It's painful to watch the fielding in this IPL. Today, Yash Raj dropped KL [Rahul] when he was on zero," he opined.
MORE: RR's IPL 2026 playoff chances detailed: Qualification scenarios, wins and points required
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi set for India A debut
Sooryavanshi has already been named in the India A squad for an ODI tri-series in Sri Lanka scheduled for next month, which serves as a structured stepping stone toward full international cricket.
The Ireland tour that follows offers a realistic and low-pressure window for a debut. And Ravi Shastri has called on the selectors to include Sooryavanshi in the India T20 squad.
“A lot of people will ask, is he 15, is he 16, is he 14? I don't care. I just see the way he is batting at the moment and the way he's taking on all comers twice his age or maybe two and a half times his age. It doesn't matter to him," he said.
“So I think he's very, very much in the reckoning. And when you have tours of Ireland [in June for 2 T20Is] and all this happening now, I would be looking into him straight away."
The Cricket News Opinion: Brilliance with the bat is not enough on its own
There are very few 15-year-olds in history who have made the kind of impact Sooryavanshi has in the IPL, and the excitement around him is entirely justified.
Kaif's concern is not a criticism of Sooryavanshi's talent. It is a reminder that talent has a ceiling if the basics are ignored. The coaches around him, at Rajasthan Royals and soon at the national level, have a responsibility to make fielding feel as rewarding and important as hitting sixes.
If they manage that, India will have an extraordinary cricketer on their hands for a very long time.
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