Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Reflects on Rajasthan Royals' IPL 2026 Exit

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (ANI Photo)

NEW DELHI: Despite playing one of the standout innings of the IPL 2026 playoffs, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi believes he made a key mistake that contributed to Rajasthan Royals' exit from the tournament. The Royals were knocked out in Qualifier 2 after Gujarat Titans successfully chased down their 214-run target with eight balls remaining. Sooryavanshi scored a brilliant 96 and later admitted that Rajasthan may have fallen short by around 10-12 runs. Reflecting on the defeat, the 15-year-old said, "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. (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. )"

The teenager explained that the pitch became difficult to bat on during the middle overs, making life harder for incoming batters. Looking back, he felt he should have faced more deliveries himself rather than allowing new players to take strike. "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 (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)," he added. Although Rajasthan fell short of reaching the final, Sooryavanshi's season was nothing short of extraordinary. The Bihar-born youngster ended IPL 2026 as the tournament's highest run-scorer, amassing 776 runs at a stunning strike rate of 237.30. His willingness to openly analyse his own performance and accept responsibility for the defeat has drawn praise, highlighting a level of maturity rarely seen in a player so young. Even after a record-breaking campaign, Sooryavanshi was focused on the lessons he could take forward rather than his personal achievements.

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