Vaibhav Sooryavanshi of Rajasthan Royals (ANI Photo) Fifteen-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has once again shown why he is regarded as one of the most exciting young talents in the IPL, but Matthew Hayden believes the Rajasthan Royals opener still has an important lesson to learn in T20 cricket.During Rajasthan’s massive chase of 230 against Gujarat Titans at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, Sooryavanshi looked dangerous right from the start. The left-hander smashed 36 runs off just 16 balls and briefly gave Royals hope of a stunning chase. However, Mohammed Siraj removed the teenager at the crucial moment and Rajasthan never recovered from the setback as they eventually slumped to a crushing 77-run defeat.
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Matthew Hayden explains GT’s success formula, Rashid’s comeback and bowling firepowerAfter the match, Hayden admitted that he was impressed by the young batsman’s fearless approach. But the former Australian opener also explained why a quick-fire cameo alone is not enough in the pursuit of 220-plus totals.“Well, tonight was a good example of an exciting young talent in Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. He batted, got 30 runs at 300 strike rate. But when you’re chasing 220, you have to bat longer and deeper. So the advantage we have is that we’re getting players like the top three you mentioned who are on strike at the Hadena press conference.Hayden then highlighted what sets Gujarat Titans apart from many other teams this season. According to him, the consistency of the Titans’ top order was built on balancing aggression with longevity in the crease.“I’ll tell you as batsmen it’s really tough and they’ve been doing it for a long time, they’re constantly getting into the back half of the game, not just batting in the power bowl. They’re going through their fitness and ability to really play Test match type cricket, and ODI cricket in particular,” he added.The Gujarat Titans top three have been among the most consistent batting units in IPL 2026. Shubman Gill has recorded a strike rate of 160.41 this season, while Jos Buttler and Sai Sudharsan have maintained a strike rate of 151.96 and 157.70 respectively.Hayden also admitted that Gujarat are generally more comfortable in games where the par total is around 160 to 180. Hence, he was particularly pleased with how the Titans adjusted their batting approach against an unpredictable Rajasthan side capable of producing explosive performances.“So I like the fact that we’re building in innings. Tonight, when we’re setting a target, which is a different challenge for us, we’ve had a number of totals in that range of 160. Which I’d back our batting to do any day of the week, so tonight it was nice to have that challenge at the top against an X-factor team like Hay Rajastden, who was important for us, as Hay Rajastden said.Earlier in the match, Gill led Gujarat’s batting with a brilliant 84 off just 44 deliveries, helping the Titans amass a daunting 229/6 in their 20 overs before their bowlers completed a dominant victory.
