Graeme West, Head of Cricket at Cricket Ireland’s High-Performance Centre, revealed that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s inclusion in Indian team has sparked excitement among the fans and they are also noticing an upward sale for match tickets. India will play two T20Is against Ireland and Sooryavanshi had received his maiden call-up after impressing in IPL 2026.
Recently, Sooryavanshi ended the IPL 2026 season with 776 runs in 16 matches at an average of 48.50 and a blistering strike rate of 237.30. He ended as the leading run-getter in the tournament and thus bagged the Orange Cap. Along with it, he was awarded the MVP of the tournament, Super Striker of the Season, Emerging Player of the season, and also bagged the award for the most sixes (72) in the season.
Sooryavanshi’s attacking style has kept the fans at the edge of their seats and he has hogged all the limelight in the last two months.
“Very much so. It’s certainly one of the highlights of our summer here in Ireland. When we were working with the BCCI to arrange these games, we understood that India has a very busy schedule over the next few months. When we finally managed to get everything confirmed, we were all very excited. We’re really looking forward to hosting India,” West told Revsportz.
West added that they were following Sooryavanshi’s journey in the IPL and they were not surprised regarding his maiden call-up.
“We followed the IPL very closely and saw how well he performed. It certainly felt like there was a good chance he would be selected. His inclusion definitely adds extra profile and attention to the series. Playing against the world champions is already a major challenge, and having a young player in such good form only increases that challenge. It will also increase public interest and media attention around the games. Our analysts will undoubtedly be working hard to develop plans for him before he arrives in Belfast,” he stated.
“The interest generated by India’s visit was already significant before his selection. Ticket sales reflected that. However, if any tickets remain available, his inclusion will certainly create even more demand,” West concluded.
India will play the first T20I against Ireland on June 16 at Belfast.
