Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag admitted he was impressed with teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s explosive half-century that led RR to an eight-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings at the IPL 2026 in Guwahati on Monday. Parag, who has led the way this season full-time, said he and Dhruv Jurel could only watch in disbelief as the 15-year-old dismantled the CSK attack in the powerplay.
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RR vs CSK, IPL 2026: UPDATE | SCORECARD
“I tell him you play 14 games and no matter what happens in the game, you shouldn’t be bothered. What’s happening in the media shouldn’t bother you. Just go out there. He loves to bat. I made sure I told the coaches that he’s going to hit as much as he wants. And he goes and does some things like when we were there until the fourth. So I think I was there gosh, what’s going on, how he does, but then I’m really happy to have him in the team,” said Parag at the post-match presentation.
Earlier, Rajasthan Royals took full advantage of the overhead conditions to bowl out CSK for 127 after opting to field on a pitch that was under cover due to rain. The surface offered timely help and CSK struggled to recover from a poor start.
Sooryavanshi then turned the chase into a one-sided affair. The left-hander went on the attack from the start, spread the pace and spin. He hit a remarkable six off a slower ball from New Zealand pacer Matt Henry and reached his fifty with a couple of sixes off Noor Ahmad to register the third fastest half-century in IPL history.
He was also handed a lifeline when he was dropped by Kartik Sharma during the 18-run, a mistake CSK paid dearly for as the game quickly slipped away.
As Sooryavanshi dominated, opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal played a supporting role, ensuring the youngster maintained the strike during the power-play. RR chased down the target in just 12.1 overswith Jaiswal unbeaten on 38 and Parag completed the chase.
Speaking after the match, Sooryavanshi thanked the team management, including head coach Kumar Sangakkara, for supporting his natural approach.
“I think about the defence, but today our plan was to control the power play because in a small chase that phase is crucial. If the bowling team does well there, the game can tilt, but our power play went really well,” he said.
“The coaches just told me that they support me and that I should stick to my natural game and play according to the situation,” he added.
The 15-year-old also highlighted the role of Jaiswal, saying that his partner was constantly communicating in the opening and encouraging him to continue playing.
While RR ticked all the boxes in their opening match, CSK had a lot to sort out after some sub-par batting and fielding errors.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
30 March 2026 23:51 IST
