15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi smashed an explosive 78 off 26 balls, guiding Rajasthan Royals to a 6-wicket win over RCB. The young prodigy, who won POTM and the Orange Cap, said he focuses on playing the ball, not the bowler.
Rajasthan Royals' (RR) 15-year-old prodigy batter, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, expressed that he tries to face the ball on merit rather than thinking much about the bowler he is facing, after the left-hander took on the likes of Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar to help Rajasthan Royals (RR) defeat Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by six wickets in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match on Friday.
Chasing 202, Rajasthan Royals were powered by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's explosive 78 off 26 balls, for which he won the Player of the Match (POTM) award. During his knock, Sooryavanshi hammered 18 runs off Josh Hazlewood in just four deliveries and also collected 16 runs from an over against Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Notably, Sooryavanshi hit eight fours and seven sixes in his innings. Sooryavanshi also became the holder of the IPL 2026 Orange Cap (most runs) with 200 runs to his name in just four matches.
'Play the ball and not the bowler'
Speaking at the post-match presentation after RR's win, Sooryavanshi said that he focuses on playing his natural game and what he practises, rather than trying anything extra, and aims to react to the ball instead of the bowler. He also said he was disappointed with his dismissal, as staying longer at the crease could have added 10-20 more runs or finished the chase earlier against RCB. "I just try to do what I do in practice and try not to do extra, and back my natural game. (On facing Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar and Hazlewood) Back of the mind, it is there (on who is bowling). I try to play the ball and not the bowler, and play my game. (On his disappointment at getting dismissed) If I am at the wicket, 10-20 runs extra can be scored or a target can be chased (1-2 overs earlier). That is what I get upset about - that I could play a little longer," Sooryavanshi said.
How the match unfolded
Rajasthan Royals defeated Royal Challengers Bengaluru by six wickets, extending their unbeaten run to four straight wins while handing RCB their first loss of the season. Chasing 202, RR were led by a blazing 78 Sooryavanshi and an unbeaten 81 from Dhruv Jurel. Their 108-run stand set up a dominant chase, with Ravindra Jadeja also contributing an unbeaten 24 as RR reached the target in 18 overs.
RCB's innings
Earlier, RCB posted 201/8, powered by captain Rajat Patidar's 63 and a late cameo from Venkatesh Iyer. Despite early wickets from Jofra Archer and Ravi Bishnoi, RCB recovered to cross 200, but it wasn't enough against RR's powerful batting display. (ANI)
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