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Priyansh Arya has taken IPL 2026 by storm and by the looks of it, he’s managed to surprise even experienced fans with his clean ball-striking. Playing for Punjab Kings, the opener is the highest strike rate holder in the competition having smashed 248.24.

In a tournament stacked with flamboyant batter such as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Abhishek Sharma, Arya has managed to stand out from the crowd which speaks volumes about his form.

The 24-year-old already announced himself in the IPL in his debut season last year when he smashed a 39 ball ton against Chennai Super Kings the then quickest ton by an Indian. He registered 475 runs at almost 180 strike rate Nicholas Pooran was the only other player with better strike rate at that moment and higher strike rate than him.

He has taken his game to another level this season. Started with a quick-fire 39 off 11 against CSK, followed with 57 off 20 against SRH and then a sensational 93 off 37 against LSG. These scores are testimony to his previous season's efforts, that, by no means were a fluke.

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Sanjay Bharadwaj, the long-term coach of Arya since he was nine, has been integral in shaping the current brand of batting we see. He was present in the off-season camp in Bhopal where 70 other boys were also present and there were a few stringent rules  no mobiles and a day that could extend to 12 hours of practice every single day.

Bharadwaj told The Indian Express:

"When you perform in IPL, the stardom comes quickly and it is not easy for youngsters to handle it, You are trending on social media and there is a status pressure. You try to be someone you are not. In the camp, where there were around 70 other boys, he was just one among them. He didn't have the air about being an IPL player. He was the same nine-year-old kid I saw."

Bharadwaj then revealed how the coaching team managed to tackle expectations.

"After the high of last season, we thought it is best to leave everything to God. Uppar wala ko poora credit dhedhiya (Gave the entire credit to God). Since he performed, the expectations will be huge. And when there are expectations, there will be additional pressure. As such the pressure is already high in IPL so why put additional burden? If he did that to keep performing consistently is not possible. You won't put the team ahead, you will try to put your game ahead."

He also laid bare Arya's simple but robust rule: "The powerplay is for the team. What you do next is for you."

According to the coach, Arya’s mental attributes and self-discipline will take him far.

Bharadwaj concluded:

"He is not someone who has got carried away by the IPL riches, That for me shows he is willing to go the distance. He is very humble and that's what you need."

By the look of things and the form he's in, Priyansh Arya has quickly turned into one of the most exciting prospects of IPL 2026 and it would be hard for the selectors to not notice if the same rhythm continues.