Teen wonder Vaibhav Suryavanshi impressed with a quickfire 52 off just 17 balls as Rajasthan Royals dominated Chennai Super Kings, winning by eight wickets in their IPL opener. The 15-year-old batsman smashed four boundaries and five sixes in a rapid innings, helping Rajasthan chase down a target of 128 with plenty of overs to spare in Guwahati.
Suryavanshi gained attention in world cricket after a remarkable debut season in the previous IPL at the age of 14, where he even scored a century off 35 balls. Despite surviving a dropped catch early in his innings, the left-hander found his rhythm and attacked the bowlers aggressively.
Reflecting on his performance, Suryavanshi mentioned that he focused on controlling the game during the powerplay, which was crucial in a small chase. He reached his fifty in just 15 balls, receiving cheers from the home crowd for his explosive stroke play.
Although his innings ended with a good catch by Sarfaraz Khan, Suryavanshi’s recent form has been exceptional, highlighted by his stellar performance in India’s Under-19 World Cup victory, where he scored a record-breaking 175 runs off 80 balls in the final against England.
Rajasthan’s opener Yashasvi Jaiswal played a steady unbeaten knock of 38 runs, guiding the team alongside skipper Riyan Parag to victory in 12.1 overs. The Rajasthan bowlers, led by Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, and Ravindra Jadeja, played a crucial role in restricting Chennai to 127 runs.
Chennai’s batting struggled, with Archer and Burger picking up key wickets. Despite a fighting effort from Jamie Overton, who scored 43 runs, Chennai fell short. Burger’s performance earned him the player of the match award.
Chennai captain Ruturaj Gaikwad acknowledged the team’s mistakes and hoped for improvement in the upcoming matches, especially with the absence of veteran player M.S. Dhoni due to injury for the initial phase of the tournament.
