Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (Image credit: IPL/RR) NEW DELHI: It was the first game of IPL 2026 for Rajasthan Royals and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made it special by helping his team record a stunning win over five-time champions Chennai Super Kings on Monday. The 15-year-old batting sensation produced a breathtaking power-play masterclass as he smashed 52 off just 17 balls to set up an emphatic eight-wicket victory as the 2008 IPL champions began their campaign in style.Sooryavanshi, who turned 15 on March 27, revealed after the match that he decided to go to bed early to stay fresh for the big clash with CSK and skipped the cake-cutting celebrations with the team.“I didn’t really do anything outside – there was supposed to be a cake cutting but I went to bed early to avoid smearing the cake (as he celebrated his birthday),” Sooryavanshi said after the match.
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Angkrish Raghuvanshi only focused on team wins After the bowlers restricted CSK to a meager 127, Sooryavanshi took center stage, blasting 52 off just 17 balls, including four fours and five sixes, at a staggering 305.88. Rajasthan Royals chased down the target with 47 balls to spare.“The plan was simply to play the power bowl well – initially the wicket was a bit sticky but as the ball got older it started hitting the bat (on his batting) nicely. I think about the defence, but today our plan was to control the power play because in a small chase that phase is key – if the bowling team does well there, the game can play really well (aggressively), but our power went well.
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“The coaches didn’t specifically say that the bowlers would attack me – that’s what everyone else was saying – but they just told me that they supported me and that I should stick to my natural game and play according to the situation. My opening partner (Yashasvi Jaiswal) keeps communicating with me after every ball – he tells me when to play singles, he keeps giving me the bat,” said my youngster to keep batting and encouraging me to keep playing.After a strong start to the tournament, Rajasthan Royals will now face Gujarat Titans on April 4 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.CSK will look to make a comeback when they take on the Punjab Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on April 3.
