Rajasthan Royals' teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi Has created a stir in IPL 2026 with his fearless strokeplay and tremendous power-hitting. The 15-year-old opening batsman scored 583 runs in 14 matches at an impressive average of 41.64 and an astonishing strike rate of 232.27, which included three fifties and a century.
Despite his remarkable performances with the bat, Suryavanshi has attracted attention this season for being used primarily as an impact player, not just as a batsman and taking the field. The move has sparked debate among former Indian cricketers, with Sanjay Manjrekar and Mohammad Kaif raising questions over the way Rajasthan Royals handled the youngster.
Ahead of Rajasthan Royals' crucial clash against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, RR assistant coach Trevor Penny addressed the criticism and clarified that Suryavanshi's absence from the field has nothing to do with his fielding abilities.
“So, he's a very good fielder. He's got very good hands. He moves well. He dives. He anticipates. He's got all that stuff. That's just the way it works. And sometimes he comes in fresh in the second innings opening the batting, it works for us,” Penny said during the pre-match press conference on Saturday.
“So, there's no particular reason for, 'Oh, he's a bad fielder, we're not playing him in the field.' So, it has nothing to do with it. These are just circumstances. And sometimes a little bit, maybe there was a better fielder or a more experienced fielder. But generally, it's to keep him fresh for his batting,'' Penny added.
Penny also praised the youngster's fitness and running between the wickets, highlighting his determination during Rajasthan's previous game.
“But really he doesn't need to run too much between the wickets, right? It's just about a break. I think he can do that if he has to. You saw in the last game, he had 10 out of 11 balls. And he was very determined to win that game. That's why he didn't go in and just try to hit with the first ball,” he added.
Rajasthan Royals They had a good performance in IPL 2026 and won seven of their 13 matches. If they win against MI then they will qualify for the playoffs.
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