A new cricketing super-talent has emerged from India in the form of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. His exploits in the Indian Premier League (IPL) earned him a call-up to India’s T20I team at the age of 15. While there is no doubting his talent in the shortest format of the game, there are some reservations about his red-ball game. Although Sooryavanshi has himself said a few times that he wants to play all three formats, legendary South African AB de Villiers has his doubts. While De Villiers is hopeful of seeing him try his hand in the longer formats of the game, he is not sure if Sooryavanshi really wants to.
Sooryavanshi finished the IPL 2026 season with 776 runs to his name at a strike rate of 237. He ended up winning the coveted Orange Cap, awarded to the top-scoring batter in a single IPL season. With his ultra-attacking approach, the teenage opener smashed some of the finest bowlers in the world, such as jasprit bumrah, Pat Cummins,and Josh Hazlewood. But can he do the same in whites? De Villiers is not sure if he even wants to.
“He’s a wonderful talent. The red-ball thing I absolutely cannot answer. I think he can if he wants to, but there’s your answer, and there’s the big question as well: Does he really want to? Time will tell. There’s no doubt he’s got the talent and ability to do so. It won’t always be easy, and I’ve mentioned that a few times before,” De Villiers said during an interview with NDTV at the launch of Kabuni’s AI-powered global sports platform in Mumbai on Sunday.
“If he decides to play red-ball cricket, there will be some challenges, but he’s got the skill and the ability to work through that. In my opinion, I hope he does try and play, but I doubt it. We’ll see,” De Villiers added.
De Villiers, one of the finest captains South Africa has ever had, invented many new shots during his active playing days. With AI now influencing how cricket is played and how its data is captured, De Villiers admitted that it would have been helpful to have had access to such parameters during his career.
“Yes, I think the risk calculation is always something that goes through your mind during an innings,” De Villiers said when asked if he would have preferred to use technology like Kabuni’s to assess the risk factor of his shots. “You never want that risk to be over 50% really. You want to get it as low as possible with shots that you’ve practiced, that you feel comfortable with, and that you feel are best suited for the bowler that’s bowling, as well as the conditions and the dimensions of the field.”
“So, it’s all about doing a bit of maths out there and getting the best possible risk rate for the shot that you’re trying to play. Kabuni would have helped, there’s no doubt about it. If you could get some stats back with regards to the distance that you consistently hit with certain shots, understanding the dimensions then and sort of applying that to your risk-taking, I think would have helped a lot,” he added.
Data, through technology, has become extremely important in modern times. De Villiers believes such inputs can help a player assess their decisions before instincts come into play on the field.
“Any data that you can get is always a nice measuring point, and then ultimately it comes down to your instinct on the day and making the best possible decisions for you to perform,” he said.
What Is Kabuni?
Kabuni is an AI-powered global sports platform which launched at its debut Playtime 2026 event in Mumbai, unveiling a new era of accessible, elite-level coaching for cricket fans at every level. Positioned at the intersection of sport, technology, and play, Kabuni introduces a world-first approach to training: delivering real-time, personalized coaching through advanced AI technology, enabling players of all levels to improve their performance anytime, anywhere.
Besides the global launch, Kabuni has unveiled its “Super Coaches”-a roster of legendary cricketers including Sourav Ganguly, Shane WatsonAB de Villiers, and Shreyas Iyer-who will play a central role in inspiring and developing the next generation of players through interactive challenges and youth tournaments.
At the heart of the platform is a simple yet powerful ambition: to put a world-class cricket coach in every player’s pocket, democratizing access to high-quality coaching and transforming how athletes learn and develop across the globe. Built by parents with a deep understanding of the challenges facing modern families and the impact of screen time, Kabuni is on a mission to encourage people to play more and scroll less by replacing passive screen time with active, shared experiences that build skills and connection.
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