Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson was full of praise for teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi after the 14-year-old played a match-defining knock in their six-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings on Tuesday. Suryavanshi smashed 57 off 33 balls in a chase of 188, showcasing maturity beyond his years to guide RR home in 17.1 overs.
“I don’t have words for him,” Samson said after the match. “Today, when the middle overs were going on, he was smart in picking his options. It’s a stunning combination, having that potential and game awareness.”
The Royals had considered batting first but eventually opted to chase, and the young top order responded with intent. While Yashasvi Jaiswal gave a fiery start, it was Suryavanshi’s calm and calculated knock that anchored the innings. Samson revealed the decision to chase was part of the team’s mindset shift.
“To be honest we were thinking about setting a target but I felt there's no hiding in this game, let's go out and chase it and prove a point.”
RR’s bowling also stood out despite missing big names like Jofra Archer and Sandeep Sharma. Akash Madhwal, who picked three key wickets including MS Dhoni, was instrumental in keeping CSK to 187/8. Samson highlighted Madhwal’s efforts behind the scenes.
“Madhwal did not play a lot of games, he has been working closely with Shane Bond, doing a lot of spot bowling, and he has got the results now. Very happy for him.”
The Royals’ youthful bowling group held its own under pressure, and Samson believes it signals good things for the franchise’s future.
“We have a young bowling attack, missing Jofra, Sandeep Sharma ... lots of promise for the future.”
RR were close to winning in multiple occasions. They had lost several games in the final moments. Reflecting on the season, Samson said that the team would review what went wrong.
“The margins of error are so less, it's hard to see why we had such a bad season. We will sit down after a couple of weeks to review what went wrong and come back stronger.”
With the win over CSK, RR signed off their season with four wins from 14 matches. They are likely to finish in the 9th spot in IPL 2025.
