There were fans from Jaipur. From Kanpur. From Patna. From Banaras. The stands at Lucknow’s Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Stadium were unusually packed on a hot weekday. Hundreds of Vaibhav Suryavanshi supporters were determined not to miss the sight of the prodigy playing so close to home; after all, Lucknow is just a single overnight train ride from Samastipur.
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However, on his maiden IPL trip to the city, Suryavanshi did not provide the grand celebration that the traveling crowds craved. “Chaar over se zyada Vaibhav khel gaya toh match wahi jeetake dega,” predicted an auto-rickshaw driver on the eve of the match, fearing a Suryavanshi storm against the struggling Lucknow Super Giants side. However, the Super Giants knew this all too well and arrived with the necessary tools to test the teenager. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi fans hit the region – Kanpur, Banaras, Patna. (Photo credit: Akshay Ramesh)
After winning the toss and electing to bowl, Rishabh Pant and his men executed a clinical plan. On a red clay pitch offering remarkable bounce and pace, they resisted the urge to look for swing. Instead, they hit hard, forcing Suryavanshi and his opening partner, Yashasvi Jaiswal, to take risks and produce their own shots.
The first two overs were expensive, but both Mohammed Shami and paceman Prince Yadav stuck to the task and peppered the young openers with well-directed short balls.
Prince, who can reach speeds of up to 150 kmph, conceded two boundaries when Suryavanshi flicked a half-volley before showing off his wrist work with a fine late cut. However, Prince responded by cutting the length and adding pace to keep the youngster quiet.
EARLY INJURIES AFFECT VAIBHAV
A restrictive start thwarted Suryavanshi’s plans for early dominance. At the other end, Yashasvi Jaiswal was undone by Mohammed Shami as the veteran used all his experience to stop the rampaging opener. After conceding three boundaries, Shami made the breakthrough with a well-directed bouncer that was brilliantly fielded by the diving Rishabh Pant.
On his very next delivery, Shami bowled full and pulled the ball away from right-arm Dhruv Jurel, who managed only a thick outside edge. The Agra-born wicket-keeper batsman, who honed his junior cricket skills at this very venue in Lucknow, was destroyed by Shami’s masterful length change.
Pant then introduced left-hander Mohsin Khan, who replaced Prince despite his effective spell. Gambling worked wonders; Mohsin used his upraised arm action to hit the deck hard, pushing Suryavanshi down a spot. After seeing two wickets fall in two balls in the previous over, the 15-year-old was understandably cautious.
Eventually, Suryavanshi’s patience ran out after five consecutive balls left him facing the prospect of the girl’s survival. The youngster tried a light stroke of the cross bat on the long ball from the left arm, but only managed to get a leading edge.
On another day, the ball might have landed in no man’s land; however, Digvesh Rathi sprinted 20 meters from covers to take a fine catch, sending a significant section of the Lucknow crowd into stunned silence.
Lucknow held their chances brilliantly after a slightly sloppy start born of desperation to get rid of the odd man out. At the end of the over, Rajasthan Royals were reeling at 44 for 3, with skipper Riyan Parag and Shimron Hetmyer – two players in search of form – tasked with steadying the ship.
For Lucknow, the intensity only increased as Mayank Yadav, returning from injury, already started in excess of 140 kmph in his first over.
It was only the second time Suryavanshi was dismissed for a single-digit score in the IPL 2026 season. Despite an early exit from Lucknow, he remains among the top five run-scorers in the tournament with 254 runs from seven matches.
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– The end
Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
22 Apr 2026 20:31 IST
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