Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Fever Grips Chepauk As Thousands Of Fans Turn Up For Duleep Trophy Final

Chepauk witnessed an eruption of fan support this Sunday as thousands of cricket enthusiasts arrived at the MA Chidambaram Stadium to witness teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in action on the final day of the Duleep Trophy 2026.

The final encounter between East Zone and South Zone drew an unusually sizeable crowd for a domestic first-class match with many turning up solely to soak in the sights of the 15-year-old batting prodigy who has shot to fame with his rise on the Indian cricketing scene. The number of viewers reportedly exceeded 10,000.

Chepauk Erupts for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

• The thrills began long before the match commenced with the gates of the stadium opening to fans who had turned up in droves to catch a glimpse of the budding star. In fact, fans were already flocking to the lower stands as it had been declared free entry in these sections.
• When Vaibhav walked out to open the innings for East Zone with Abhimanyu Easwaran, the entire stadium erupted in frenzy and the teenager delivered an attacking yet composed innings of sorts.
• Vaibhav Sooryavanshi hit 44 off 37 deliveries sending East Zone off to a flying start. The young man displayed an array of boundary hitting as he also managed to clear the fence with a six against the pace of Mohammed Siraj, one of India's renowned fast bowlers.
• Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's confident stroke play against the international pacer soon became one of the biggest talking points of the opening day encounter.

Vaibhav Takes on Mohammed Siraj

Perhaps the most anticipated duel at the Chepauk was the head-to-head encounter between Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Mohammed Siraj.

Siraj had all but failed to control the teenage batter during his opening over while Vaibhav displayed a rare sense of composure against the senior pacer. His ability to flick the off-side and attack the hitting zone kept the Chepauk crowd on their toes throughout.

Vaibhav finally fell for 44 when he mistimed a pull shot against the left-arm pacer Chama Milind.

Although he failed to notch a half-century, it was the brief stint at the crease that left a massive impact on the viewers in the stands.

Fans Stay Back for an Autograph

But the thrill was far from over for the fans after Vaibhav's dismissal.

As the end of the day's session was reached, crowds gathered by the boundary hoping to catch a glimpse of the young sensation who had taken the stadium by storm. Fans presented Vaibhav with cricket balls, jerseys, caps, notebooks and mobile phone cases for his autograph.

It wasn't long before Vaibhav warmed up to the fans, spending a few minutes signing autographs and acknowledging those that had turned up to watch him play. In fact, the young man's interaction with the crowd became one of the most memorable highlights of the day.

A New Chapter in Vaibhav's Red-Ball Career

• The scenes at the Chepauk went to show just how far the fame of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had traveled.
• The teenager had earlier shot to fame on the same ground when he was playing for India's U-19 squad against Australia. But on the day, the match was played behind closed doors. Two years down the line, Vaibhav returned to the Chepauk with an entire crowd chanting his name.
• His appearance in the Duleep Trophy, hence, marked a special chapter in his career as he made his debut in the world of red-ball senior cricket.
• Meanwhile, East Zone ended the opening day in a strong position at 385/4 after Vaibhav and Abhimanyu Easwaran set the platform for the innings. The captain, Ishan Kishan was unbeaten on an unbeaten century.
• But for Chepauk, the highlight of the day was surely the teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
• The young man may have fallen short of a half-century, but the huge crowd plus the scenes following his dismissal are proof enough that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has indeed gained immense popularity with the fans at an early age.