Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag admitted he was left stunned by teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s explosive 15-ball half-century that powered RR to an eight-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings in their IPL 2026 opener in Guwahati on Monday. Parag, leading the side full-time this season, said he and Dhruv Jurel could only watch in disbelief as the 15-year-old dismantled the CSK attack inside the powerplay.
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“What I tell him is that you’re going to play 14 games and regardless of what goes on in the game, it shouldn’t bother you. What goes around in the media shouldn’t bother you. You just go out there. He loves to bat. I’ve made sure I’ve told the coaches that he gets as much batting as he wants. And he goes and does some things like that. So I think me and Dhruv, when we were sitting there till the fourth over, we were just in awe. Like, what is happening? Like, how is he doing this? But then I’m really happy to have him in my team,” Parag said at the post-match presentation.
Rajasthan Royals had earlier made full use of the overhead conditions to bowl out CSK for 127 after opting to field on a pitch that had been under cover due to rain. The surface offered early assistance, and CSK struggled to recover from a poor start.
Sooryavanshi then turned the chase into a one-sided affair. The left-hander went on the offensive from the outset, taking apart both pace and spin. He struck a remarkable six over point off a slower ball from New Zealand pacer Matt Henry and reached his fifty with a couple of sixes off Noor Ahmad, registering the third-fastest half-century in IPL history.
He was also handed a lifeline when dropped by Kartik Sharma during an 18-run over, a mistake CSK paid heavily for as the game slipped away quickly.
With Sooryavanshi dominating, opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal played a supporting role, ensuring the youngster retained strike during the powerplay. RR chased down the target in just 12.1 overs, with Jaiswal unbeaten on 38 and Parag finishing the chase.
Speaking after the match, Sooryavanshi credited the team management, including head coach Kumar Sangakkara, for backing his natural 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,” he said.
“The coaches just told me that they back me and that I should stick to my natural game and play according to the situation,” he added.
The 15-year-old also highlighted the role of Jaiswal, saying his opening partner kept communicating and encouraged him to keep playing his shots.
While RR ticked all boxes in their opening match, CSK were left with plenty to address after a below-par batting effort and lapses in the field.
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