‘RR let down Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’: R Ashwin fuming in Rajasthan after Qualifier 2 defeat

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi of Rajasthan Royals (Image: PTI) Vaibhav Sooryavanshi produced one of the best knocks of IPL 2026 in Qualifier 2, but it was not enough to see Rajasthan Royals into the final as they suffered a seven-wicket defeat against Gujarat Titans. Former India spinner and former Rajasthan Royals player Ravichandran Ashwin expressed his disappointment and said that the rest of the batting unit let the 15-year-old wonder man down despite his heroic efforts.While the batting order of Rajasthan Royals collapsed, it was Vaibhav Sooryavanshi who stood alone to give his team a big number to defend but it was not enough for the team. In his appearance on Ash Ki Baat YouTube, Ashwin admitted that he was saddened to see such a remarkable innings end in defeat.“Main mayoos hoon (I’m sad),” Ashwin said. “He played so well during IPL 2026, he scored almost 800 runs. But for me the highlight was the innings he played today. Of course he was a bit lucky but the wicket offered help to the bowlers. He faced some of the best bowlers in international cricket, Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada and Jason Holder,” Ashwin said.“He was lucky at times, got caught too but the way he adjusted his shots and adapted to the conditions was exceptional. He deserved better. Rajasthan Royals were eager. I know Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan batted brilliantly but Rajasthan Royals were let down by the young lad’s incredible innings. In fact incredible today is not enough to describe what Soibhavory Va delivered.” Rajasthan Royals suffered a nightmare after being reduced to 9/2 in the powerplay with Yashasvi Jaiswal (1) and Dhruv Jurel (7) falling early to Kagiso Rabada. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi then rebuilt the innings alongside Ravindra Jadeja, who played a crucial hand of 45 off 35 balls before being forced out with an elbow injury. Jadeja’s departure triggered a middle-order collapse, with Riyan Parag managing just 11 as RR lost wickets in quick succession.Amidst the chaos, Sooryavanshi stood tall with a breathtaking 96 off 47 balls, smashing eight fours and seven sixes in an over 204. Donovan Ferreira later provided a late flourish with an unbeaten 38 off just 11 deliveries to help RR post a competitive 214/6. However, Gujarat Titans comfortably chased down the target to book their place in the IPL 2026 final.