At the BCCI Naman Awards 2026, Harsha Bhogle asked Vaibhav Sooryavanshi if he remembered what happened on the first ball he played in the IPL. The teenager said his IPL debut was against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), and he had hit 6 on the very first ball over cover.
Harsha Bhogle then told the Rajasthan Royals batsman that his coach, Rahul Dravid, was present there.
“He was someone who used to bat for one and a half days at a stretch. Sometimes, even two days. What conversation did you have with him before the match?” the senior commentator asked.
While Vaibhav tried to answer that, Sanju Samson pitched in and explained what had happened. Dravid approached Sanju, who was the RR captain last year, and told him that they needed to speak to the ‘young boy’ before the match.
A day before the match, Sanju and Rahul Dravid called Vaibhav to the hotel room and asked him about his plan.
But, Sanju’s explanation became funnier as he copied Vaibhav’s Bhojpuri accent and mimicked the teenage sensation, “Agar humein pehla mila, to hum pehle hi udaa denge (Sir, we will just play our game. If the first ball comes in my slot, we will send it flying).”
“That was exactly what he did. He played like a video game!” Sanju Samson quipped.
Everyone burst into laughter. Rahul Dravid’s wife, Vijeta Pendharkar, laughed hard as well.
Harsha Bhogle then asked Vaibhav Sooryavanshi about his goals in the IPL 2026. He gave the RR batter three choices. He asked if Vaibhav would like to hit 6 sixes in an over, hit the fastest 100 in the IPL or surpass Chris Gayle’s 175, the highest individual score in IPL.
“By the way, who hit the second-fastest IPL 100?” Harsha Bhogle asked.
Vaibhav smiled and replied, “I did.”
Harsha’s focus then shifted to Sanju Samson, India’s T20 World Cup hero. This year, things are different for the Kerala batter.
Sanju has moved from RR to the Chennai Super Kings. While he was a captain in Rajasthan, he will play the IPL 2026 under Ruturaj Gaikwad’s leadership. Harsha asked about his game plan this year.
“Nothing. This time, my role is very simple. Just go out there, bat, run around the field and enjoy a game of cricket. Not thinking much about the opponents. Just doing the role which is required,” Sanju Samson replied.
Naman Awards 2026
The BCCI Naman Awards 2026 were held on Sunday, March 15, in New Delhi. It celebrated the best performances from the 2024–25 Indian cricket season.
Shubman Gill won the prestigious Polly Umrigar Award for Best International Cricketer among men. Smriti Mandhana took the women’s equivalent.
Mandhana also won the award for the highest run-getter in women’s ODIs. Deepti Sharma was recognized as the highest wicket-taker in women’s ODIs.
Harshit Rana won the Best International Debut award for men. N Sree Charani claimed the same honor for women.
The coveted Col. CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award was given to three legends: Roger Binny, Rahul Dravid and Mithali Raj.
Ayush Mhatre won the Lala Amarnath Award for best all-rounder in domestic limited-overs cricket. Harsh Dubey claimed the same award in the Ranji Trophy.
The Mumbai Cricket Association was recognized as the best-performing association in BCCI domestic tournaments.
