That day it was Jasprit Bumrah. And on Friday, Josh Hazlewood faced the same treatment from wonder child Vaibhav Suryavanshi, with the 15-year-old saying he was a “baller” and “not a bowler”.Sooryavanshi scored 78 off 26 balls as Rajasthan Royals (RR) chased down Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) total of 201 with two to go.He also moved to the top of the IPL 2026 Orange Cap list with 200 runs in four matches.Speaking at the post-match presentation after RR’s win, Sooryavanshi said he is focusing on his natural game and what he bowls, rather than trying anything extra, and reacts to the ball rather than the bowler.“I’m trying to do what I practice and support my natural game. Yes, in the back of your mind, you know who the bowler is (Bumrah or Hazlewood) but you bowl and not the bowler,” said Suryavanshi, who hit the Australian for three boundaries and a six in four successive deliveries.
Having gained attention early in his career, Suryavanshi said he remains focused, with the guidance of his father Sanjeev and RR’s support staff Romi Bhinder.“They always tell me it’s a long journey and I should just be focused on the match,” he said.He also said that he was not satisfied after his 78, as he felt he could have added more points to the team.“I think if I had been there, I could have scored 20 more points which would have been good for the team,” Suryavanshi said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
Rajasthan Royals defeated Royal Challengers Bengaluru by six wickets, extending their unbeaten run to four matches and handing RCB their first loss of the season.Chasing 202, RR Sooryavanshi led off 78 and an unbeaten 81 off Dhruv Jurel. The two added 108 runs, while Ravindra Jadeja was not out for 24 runs as RR reached the target in 18 overs.Earlier, RCB made 201 for 8, with captain Rajat Patidar scoring 63 and Venkatesh Iyer contributing late. Jofra Archer and Ravi Bishnoi got early wickets, but RCB still passed 200, which was not enough against RR’s batting.
