Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Devajit Saikia - (Source: AFP)
After the Afghanistan ODIs, the caravan will shift to the UK tour, where India will first visit Ireland for a two-T20I series. The upcoming tour is special because it will mark Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s first senior tour with the Indian team.
Notably, India will square off against the Irish for two T20Is starting from June 26 in Belfast. The fans are excited to see Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in Indian colours, and the excitement for the tour is at an all-time high. Meanwhile, the BCCI has announced a massive schedule change for the upcoming tour, which can also be doubted as the Sooryavanshi effect.
BCCI Revise Match Timings Schedule For India vs Ireland Series
Earlier, the two-match T20I series was set to begin from 7:30 pm IST. However, in the latest events, the two boards have revised the timings, and the games will kickstart from 6:00 pm IST, which is 1:30 pm in Belfast, Ireland.
Notably, the board didn't announce it officially, but have revised the timings on their website, which now reads that the match will begin at 6:00 pm IST.
Broadcasters To Tap Sooryavanshi's Rising Popularity
The reason behind this decision is not known yet, but a section of fans are touting it to be the Vaibhav Sooryavanshi-effect. The 15-year-old witness a significant rise in his fan following since IPL 2026, and there are a lot of kids who have started following the prodigy.
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Hence, 7:30 pm might have been a little late, which is why the two boards decided to start the match 1.5 hours early, which means that the game might be over by 10 pm, which will certainly have more viewership than the 7:30 pm match, which finishes around 11:30 pm.
Therefore, it is a clear move to target maximum viewership and maximise the Sooryavanshi star power.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s Rise Led To India A Series Broadcasting
It is not the first time that the broadcasters have cashed in on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s popularity. Right after IPL 2026, the RR opener’s next assignment was a tour to Sri Lanka for India A tri-series involving Afghanistan.
Usually, there is no broadcasting for these unofficial series, which are merely testing and practice grounds. However, Sony Liv chipped in and brought the broadcasting rights, a rare move, so that the fans can watch Sooryavanshi in action.
The decision actually paid off because the broadcasters got fans tuned in to their app and cable channel whenever the youngster walked to bat.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi faces a hiccup before the India Tour
It seems that the growing fame, camera shutters and constant eyeballs seem to have taken over Vaibhav Sooryavanshi a bit, because the southpaw is struggling for runs and he has not had a great India A tour. Ideally, the BCCI and Sooryavanshi himself would have loved to have some runs under his belt before the Ireland series, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen.
Talking about the ongoing tri-series, the 15-year-old has scored just 117 runs in four innings, averaging 29.25. The youngster got off to a decent start in every match but failed to convert the starts. Nonetheless, Sooryavanshi still has one opportunity left to return to form as India A will play Sri Lanka A in the final on Sunday.
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