Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored 96 in Qualifier 2© IANS
For the Rajasthan Royals, the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 campaign ended at the penultimate hurdle as they lost Qualifier 2 against the Gujarat Titans. The defeat for Rajasthan came despite Vaibhav Sooryavanshi smashing a brilliant 96-run knock. RR thought their total of 214 would be enough, but GT chased down the target with eight balls to spare. It looked as though the Royals were about 15-20 runs short in the end, and Sooryavanshi blamed himself for the shortfall.
Speaking to the broadcasters after the IPL 2026 final, which Sooryavanshi attended to be named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament, the 15-year-old admitted that he should have kept himself on strike more during the middle overs.
“Last match mein kaafi kuch seekhne ko mila. Jaise mujhe aisa lagta hai ki hum log 10-12 runs short hue. But phir bhi, mujhe aisa lagta hai ki beech ke overs mein mujhe apne paas strike zyada rakhni chahiye thi, kyunki naye batsman ke liye thoda tough ho raha tha,” he said. (“There was a lot to learn from the last match. For instance, I feel we fell about 10-12 runs short. But even so, I feel I should have rotated the strike less and kept more of the strike to myself during the middle overs, because it was getting a bit tough for the new batters.”)
“Wicket us time pe accha tha nahi, sticky tha wicket. Toh mujhe aisa lagta hai us time pe maine ek mistake kari ki naye batsmen zyada strike pe aa rahe the. Us time pe mujhe strike pe zyada rehna chahiye tha,” he added. (“The wicket wasn’t great at that time; it was quite sticky. So, I feel I made a mistake there by letting the new batters take more of the strike. I should have stayed on strike longer during that period.”)
— The Bihari Girl (@varunavi17) June 1, 2026
The Bihar-born IPL prodigy enjoyed an extraordinary tournament this year, finishing as the highest run-scorer with 776 runs at an exceptional strike rate of 237.30. The fact that Sooryavanshi is blaming himself, even if only partially, for the team’s defeat showcases the immense maturity he possesses, even as a teenager.
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