Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Riyan Parag praised 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as somebody everyone loves and likes having around after the batter helped the team register a six-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match on Friday. With RR chasing 202 runs, RR were led by a blazing 78 off 26 balls from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and an unbeaten 81 from Dhruv Jurel. Notably, Sooryavanshi slammed eight fours and seven sixes in his innings. Sooryavanshi also became the holder of the IPL 2026 Orange Cap (most runs) with 200 runs to his name in just four matches.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, RR captain Riyan Parag said Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is a fun-loving character who is well-liked in the team. Parag said that Sooryavanshi likes eating and going out, and the team makes sure that it is available to him as long as he keeps batting the way he is. "I think everyone loves him. Everyone loves having him around. He likes eating stuff. He likes going out and stuff like that. So we make sure we make that available for him. And he's a 16-year-old kid, 15-year-old, whatever it is. Yeah, doing kiddish things. And he's happy with that. He likes a lot of batting. So we make sure that is presented to him. And if he keeps on batting like that, I think whatever he wants," Parag said.
Speaking about the match, Riyan Parag said RR were far more clinical in this match compared to previous seasons at the venue, especially with their bowling and early start. He felt RCB's 201-run score was around 20 runs above par and that they should have been restricted to about 170. He also noted that RR made mistakes by giving batters too much room, but said the team had prepared well for conditions in Guwahati and Jaipur. Parag added that RR aim to be adaptable to different pitches and believes they will perform even better on batting-friendly surfaces.
"Keeping previous years in mind, we were not up to the mark (at this venue) but today was very clinical. The way we bowled, the way we started, we would have taken 200 but still felt 20 above par. Should have restricted them to 170ish. This is a wicket where not a lot of sixes are hit down the ground off the spinners. We gave room and played into the batter's hands. We put enough prep in Guwahati and Jaipur. We knew what the black soil does here," Parag said. "We were well prepared for any home game. Did not feel like a home game, but we were prepared. Before the start of the season, we wanted to be a team that assesses and adapts well. Having played on some sticky pitches, once we get a belter, we will do even well," he added.
Rajasthan Royals defeated Royal Challengers Bengaluru by six wickets, extending their unbeaten run to four straight wins while handing RCB their first loss of the season. Chasing 202, RR were led by a blazing 78 off 26 balls from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and an unbeaten 81 from Dhruv Jurel. Their 108-run stand set up a dominant chase, with Ravindra Jadeja also contributing an unbeaten 24 as RR reached the target in 18 overs.
Earlier, RCB posted 201/8, powered by captain Rajat Patidar's 63 and a late cameo from Venkatesh Iyer. Despite early wickets from Jofra Archer and Ravi Bishnoi, RCB recovered to cross 200, but it wasn't enough against RR's powerful batting display. (ANI)
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