Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: It was the first match of IPL 2026 for Rajasthan Royals, and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made it special by helping his team register a thumping win over five-time champions Chennai Super Kings on Monday. The 15-year-old batting sensation produced a breathtaking powerplay masterclass, smashing 52 off just 17 balls to set up an emphatic eight-wicket victory as the 2008 IPL champions kicked off their campaign in style.Sooryavanshi, who turned 15 on March 27, revealed after the match that he chose to go to bed early to stay fresh for the big clash against CSK, skipping the cake-cutting celebrations with the team.“I did not really do anything outside – there was supposed to be a cake cutting, but I went to sleep early to avoid the cake-smearing (on how he celebrated his birthday),” said Sooryavanshi after the match.
After the bowlers restricted CSK to a modest 127, Sooryavanshi took centre stage and blasted 52 off just 17 balls, including four fours and five sixes, at a staggering strike rate of 305.88. Rajasthan Royals chased down the target with 47 balls to spare.“The plan was simply to execute well in the powerplay – initially the wicket felt a bit sticky, but as the ball got older, it started coming onto the bat nicely (on his batting approach). I do think about defence, but today our plan was to control the game in the powerplay because in a small chase, that phase is crucial – if the bowling team does well there, the game can tilt their way, but our powerplay went really well (on his aggressive intent),” he said.“The coaches did not specifically say that bowlers would attack me – everyone else was already saying that – but they just told me that they back 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 take singles, keeps giving me the strike, and encourages me to keep playing my shots if the ball is coming nicely onto the bat,” the youngster said.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 aim for a comeback when they take on Punjab Kings on April 3 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
