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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi kickstarted his IPL season with a blistering 15-ball half-century as Rajasthan Royals recorded an eight-wicket win.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made 52 off 17. (AP Photo)
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who recently turned 15, marked the occasion in style a couple of days later by smashing a 15-ball half-century for Rajasthan Royals, guiding them to an emphatic eight-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings in an IPL 2026 clash held in Guwahati on Monday night.
Sooryavanshi underlined why he is being touted as one of India’s next big cricketing talents, dismantling a CSK bowling attack that featured Matt Henry, Anshul Kamboj, and Noor Ahmad.
The ease with which he cleared the boundary belied his age. He struck four fours and five sixes in a blistering 52 off just 17 balls, as Rajasthan Royals chased down a modest target of 128 in only 12.1 overs.
Speaking to Murali Kartik after the match, Sooryavanshi said the team’s plan was to capitalise on the powerplay and prevent CSK from gaining any early momentum.
“The plan was to execute well in the powerplay. The pitch seemed a bit sticky at the start, but it got better for batting as the ball got older,” he said.
“I do think about defence, but today we wanted to maximise the powerplay. When chasing a small total, that phase can be decisive. If the bowling side does well then, it can swing the game. We went all out, and it worked in our favour.”
He added that the Rajasthan Royals coaching staff encouraged him to trust his natural game rather than play cautiously, despite expectations that bowlers would target his aggressive approach.
“The coaches didn’t specifically say bowlers would attack me – everyone else was already saying that. They just told me they back me and that I should stick to my natural game. We arrived here a bit early, so the practice helped as well,” he said.
On how he celebrated his birthday, the teenager said, “I didn’t do anything outside. There was supposed to be a cake-cutting, but I went to sleep early to avoid the cake-smearing.”
Sooryavanshi also credited Yashasvi Jaiswal for constant support during the innings.
“He keeps communicating with me after every ball – telling me when to take singles, giving me the strike, and encouraging me to keep playing my shots when the ball is coming nicely onto the bat,” he said.
March 31, 2026, 08:12 IST
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