Teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is putting his attention on red-ball cricket, using a Rajasthan Royals pre-season camp to prepare for the Duleep Trophy.
A big year so far
Sooryavanshi made his international debut against England earlier in 2026, was named Player of the Series on India’s tour of Zimbabwe and finished as the leading run-scorer in IPL 2026. Many see him as a white-ball specialist, but he wants to show he can succeed in the longer format too.
Inside the camp
The 10-day camp is meant to prepare players for the domestic season. The academy has several practice pitches with different soil types that copy domestic conditions. Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma, Shubham Dubey, Ravi Singh and Sushant Mishra are also taking part.
The franchise said the programme covers skill work, strength and conditioning, workload management, recovery and performance analysis, with an individual plan for each player. Head of Operations Romi Bhinder said the High Performance Centre was built to support development all year, not only during the IPL. Coach Vikram Rathour said players arrive with different goals, from technique to fitness, and the tailored programmes help each be ready.
Duleep Trophy role
Sooryavanshi has been named vice-captain of the East Zone side, which Ishan Kishan will lead. The tournament begins in Bengaluru on August 23.
