Cheteshwar Pujara has singled out Priyansh Arya and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as two young batters already shaping the way IPL powerplays are played, praising their technical maturity and clarity of intent. Speaking during JioHotstar's Champions Waali Commentary, Pujara said the pair are not succeeding through reckless hitting, but by backing the way they want to play without second-guessing themselves.
That assessment fits Arya's start to the season. The 25-year-old Punjab Kings batter has scored 211 runs in five innings, including a blistering 93 off 37 balls against Lucknow Super Giants, with nine sixes and four fours. He has done so at a time when Punjab Kings are again chasing the title after falling short against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in last season's final.
Pujara drew a clear contrast between Arya's control and Sooryavanshi's force. He said Sooryavanshi brings raw, uncompromising power, while Arya gives the batsman time on the ball that cannot be taught. Together, Pujara said, they are redefining what a Powerplay can look like.
Sooryavanshi's numbers explain why he has become part of that conversation. The 15-year-old has scored 254 runs at a strike rate of around 220, with 26 fours and 20 sixes, and currently sits fifth in the Orange Cap race. Nearly 87% of his runs have come through boundaries, and he reached 500 IPL runs in just 222 balls. Among his most eye-catching innings was a 50-plus score off 15 balls against Chennai Super Kings.
The scale of the shift is bigger than one comparison between two young hitters. Arya is part of a broader IPL trend toward high scoring and aggressive batting at the top of the order, but Pujara's comments suggest the difference this season is not simply pace, it is precision. In his view, the new generation is not waiting to be told how to bat. It is arriving with its own answer already formed.
That is what makes Arya's rise notable now. Punjab Kings are still carrying the weight of last season's final defeat, and this year's early surge has given the team a fresh push toward the one trophy that eluded them. If Arya keeps converting starts into innings like the 93 against Lucknow Super Giants, he will remain central to that chase, not as a surprise package but as one of the players setting the tone from the first over.
