Teenage phenom Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who won a record-breaking five awards in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, will now be the focus of a study by the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore after wowing the cricket world with his spectacular batting.
The 15-year-old batter for the Rajasthan Royals will be the subject of a study by the IIM Indore to examine the effects of early stardom and pressures on the future of child prodigies, a senior business school official announced.
With 776 runs in 16 innings at a remarkable strike rate of 237.30, Sooryavanshi topped the list of top run scorers in the recently ended IPL season. After scoring a century and five half-centuries, the teenager was awarded the Orange Cap and crowned the T20 league’s Most Valuable Player.
Himanshu Rai, the director of IIM Indore, told PTI that the study’s objectives were to analyze the young cricket player’s on-field achievements as well as to pinpoint the elements that contribute to the growth of a talent that attains remarkable success at a young age.
Rai said, “We want to understand what factors drive the extraordinary performance of child prodigies. Personality, behaviour, and practice patterns, along with the support of parents, teachers, coaches, and seniors, are crucial for such performance.”
He pointed out that a lot of kid prodigies around the world have accomplished remarkable things at an early age, but they later have to deal with the demands of fame, money, social media, and growing expectations.
“In our study, we also want to look at how to deal with such expectations or obstacles,” Rai maintained.
According to the director of IIM Indore, Sooryavanshi was chosen for the study because cricket is a very popular sport in India and there is a lot more public pressure on young players than in other sports.
The Bihar-born left-handed batsman also hammered 72 maximums in IPL 2026, shattering West Indies legend Chris Gayle’s previous IPL record for most sixes in a season (59).
Everyone was amazed by the 15-year-old’s fearless approach against some of the best bowlers in the world, including as Pat Cummins, Kagiso Rabada, and Jasprit Bumrah.
Experts from the fields of psychology, sociology, human resources, communication, and behavioral sciences will participate in the institute’s study on child talent, according to the director of IIM. He claims that the study would start in the next two weeks and be finished in roughly three months.
According to Rai, the study will not be restricted to sports, and its conclusions may also be helpful for gifted individuals who receive remarkable acclaim in science, math, the arts, or other professions at a young age.
According to Rai, the study is to produce useful and policy recommendations that can direct the future comprehensive and sustainable development of emerging talent. He stated that the study’s results will be shared with the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) and submitted to scholarly journals.
