The IPL feast is reaching the playoff stage and, indeed, it has been exciting all the way as the ten teams did their bit to earn a slot in this final phase. Sixes and fours have come in plenty, as expected, and there have been any number of heroes on a given day to raise the tempo of the contest and keep the audience on their toes, so to say. Yet there have been a few performances that have left a lasting impression and earned a place in any discussion on the IPL at any time. Definitely, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been a huge draw. For one, he is still very young — just over 15 — but his deeds have been extraordinary enough to take one’s breath away.

It has been some time since the sport saw someone like Sooryavanshi, who made fans rush to the stadiums just to watch him hammer and belittle bowlers with his carefree approach to batting. Perhaps it was Sachin Tendulkar who had similarly gained attention with his batting prowess. But Tendulkar belonged to a different league, one steeped in technique and a copybook style approach. Tendulkar’s greatness lay in his correctness at the crease, assured stroke play and, above all, the immense determination he consistently displayed. Runs flowed from his bat at a time when a player’s class was measured by the conviction and effectiveness of his batting.

Soon after came yet another batter from the same league — Virat Kohli — who captured the imagination of cricket fans much like Tendulkar had done. Kohli continues to dazzle, and that is what makes him another unique player in the IPL. Like Sooryavanshi already, the great player has built an impressive list of achievements that places him on a special pedestal reserved for legends.

If Sooryavanshi is the current sensation in Indian cricket, perhaps even international cricket, then Kohli remains the ever-shining icon who refuses to believe that, at 37-plus, his fire should fade. But first, the latest and much-talked-about talent: Sooryavanshi, the young man who defies age and technique to bamboozle bowlers of every kind and reputation.

For this cricketer, there is little talk of following a chapter from the coach’s manual, for he has his own ways. No orthodox footwork for him, nor the conventional backlift. He simply stands at the crease, perhaps leaning a little backwards, and unleashes immense bottom-hand power that sends the ball to all corners of the stands, much to the delight of spectators. This fearless approach, which seems completely natural to him judging by his disposition, has brought the Bihar lad the kind of fame reserved for only a few.

Truly, Rajasthan Royals, the team he represents, have benefited from his sensational start, and the next few days will reveal whether the side ultimately secures a place in the playoffs. His latest effort — a 38-ball 93 against Lucknow Super Giants — may well have brought the Royals to the doorstep of the next phase.

It is simply amazing how Sooryavanshi keeps breaking records. At the end of his knock against LSG, the youngster had hit 53 sixes overall — including ten in that match — to become the first Indian to cross the 50-sixes mark in an IPL season. His tally is surpassed only by the West Indian Chris Gayle, who smashed 59 sixes in 14 innings for Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2013. His 93 was also his fourth half-century of the IPL season.

And it does not end there. Sooryavanshi is also the youngest player to score over 500 runs in a season, breaking a record previously held by Rishabh Pant. It is hardly surprising that this highly talented cricketer has become the subject of discussion among several leading former players. His own coach at Rajasthan Royals, Kumar Sangakkara, believes it is the sheer joy with which he bats that has made him what he is. Former England cricketer Ian Bell felt it remained to be seen how he would handle tougher battles ahead, but described him as a “scary talent.”

Now selected for the India A team for the upcoming tri-series involving Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, there will be considerable interest in how Sooryavanshi evolves from here.

Yet amid all this, if a veteran like Kohli continues to dominate and carve out his own space, it only underlines the greatness of the man. Expect him to deliver and, more often than not, this RCB star responds with a classic, as he did against Kolkata Knight Riders the other day with a century. He returned to this big knock after two successive ducks. Nothing seems to shake him, for he knows his worth and believes he does not need to prove himself repeatedly.

The joy of playing remains intact, as he said in an interview quoted by a leading newspaper, and that is what makes him special. No wonder he is now the first player in IPL history to score 400 or more runs in 12 different seasons — a reflection of his sustained dominance in the middle. Another feather in Kohli’s cap is that he is now the most-capped player in IPL history.

All in all, this has been an IPL season in which fans have witnessed the rise of a new legend even as another established icon continues to display the brilliance and beauty of cricket for which he has long been celebrated.