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Royal Challengers Bengaluru
The other day, it was Jasprit Bumrah. On Friday, Josh Hazlewood bore the brunt of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's blazing blade, as the 15-year-old insisted that he "plays the ball" and "not the bowler". Sooryavanshi smashed 78 off just 26 balls as Rajasthan Royals chased down Royal Challengers Bengaluru's total of 201 with two overs to spare. "I try to execute what I practice and back my natural game. Yes, at the back of your mind, you know who the bowler (Bumrah or Hazlewood) is but you play the ball not the bowler," said Sooryavanshi, who hit the star Aussie for three boundaries and a six off four successive deliveries. Having seen instant superstardom, Sooryavanshi said that his feet are firmly rooted to the ground with his father Sanjiv and RR support Romi Bhinder always around him with sane suggestions. "They always tell me that it is a long journey and my focus should only and only be on the game," he said. He did admit that he was upset at getting out at 78 as his team lost out on
For a young cricketer, a few words of praise from superstar Virat Kohli can feel like a standing ovation, and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had his moment after yet another breathtaking performance in the IPL. The 15-year-old continues to carve a fearless reputation, taking on the best with remarkable ease. Fresh from unsettling Jasprit Bumrah, he went after Australian quick Josh Hazlewood, smashing a stunning 78 off just 26 balls to steer Rajasthan Royals to a comfortable six-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru here on Friday. After the match, Kohli signed the youngster's cap and left a simple but special message: "Dear Vaibhav, well done." The innings also propelled Sooryavanshi to the top of the run charts this season, earning him the Orange Cap. Rajasthan Royals stayed unbeaten with four wins in as many games, while the defending champions suffered their first loss of the campaign.
With two fifties, including a career-best unbeaten 81, from four innings wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel is relishing his new-found role at No. 3 but insists it is "just a number" and he is willing to bat wherever the team needs him. Walking in at a tricky 21/1 in just the second over of a 202-run chase, Jurel anchored Rajasthan Royals' innings to perfection with a composed 43-ball effort, guiding them to a comfortable victory over defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru in just 18 overs and extending their unbeaten run to four matches. "I was batting at No. 5-6 last year. At the end, you have to win the match. The management showed faith in me to promote me to No. 3," Jurel said at the post-match press conference here on Friday. "It's just a number, I would say. I don't want a particular number. My character is like that... Even if you give me No. 8-9, I will happily contribute, even if it means hitting the winning six. Wherever the team needs me, I'm there." Coming in aft
He may be just 15 years of age, but Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is already batting with a clarity and composure that defy his age, said Royal Challengers Bengaluru seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Sooryavanshi blazed his way to a stunning 78 off just 26 balls before Dhruv Jurel anchored the chase with an unbeaten 81, as Rajasthan Royals put past defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru by six wickets and two overs to spare, stretching their unbeaten run to four matches this season. "The way he is hitting shots. He is not slogging, he is hitting proper shots. For a 15-year-old, he is too mature. So yes, I think we should give him credit for the way he is batting, and he is batting really well. So he deserves all the credit," Bhuvneshwar Kumar said at the post-match press conference on Friday. Despite Sooryavanshi's onslaught, which included eight fours and seven sixes, Bhuvneshwar maintained that RCB never felt completely outplayed. "It's a T20 game, I mean. Yes, he is young, and he is ...
Royal Challengers Bengaluru mentor Dinesh Karthik believes it will be difficult to keep Devdutt Padikkal out of the Indian team for long, given the manner in which he is batting in the IPL following stellar domestic performances. Padikkal starred in RCB's big win against Chennai Super Kings on Sunday, scoring a blistering 50 off 29 balls. Asked about Padikkal's composed knock at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Karthik, who is also RCB's batting coach, highlighted his composure during a tough initial phase before opening up. "The first thing that stands out is his determination. On a pitch like this, when runs don't come easily at the start, many batters try to force a big shot and end up giving their wicket away. Devdutt showed great courage to stay patient when the going was tough," Karthik told Star Sports. "Once he got that first boundary, you could see him switch gears. He's playing proper cricketing shots and hitting the ball with distance. If he continues batting like this, it will
Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter Devdutt Padikkal attributed his growing confidence in white ball formats to the willingness to move out of his comfort zone and "change the foundation" of his batting. Devdutt followed his 61 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the opening game with a 50 against Chennai Super Kings here on Sunday to fuel RCB's batting charge, which culminated in a 43-run win. "It's just a lot of hard work and a lot of self-belief that's helped me get there. It wasn't easy to make that change because it was something that I had to change from the foundation that I had in terms of the type of cricket I wanted to play growing up," Devdutt said in the post-match press conference on Sunday night. "The change is something that I had to make consciously and RCB and the whole support staff have been really great in guiding me in the right way," he added. But is there a danger of T20s becoming unidimensional because all the batters are looking to improve their range-hitting ...
An emotionally distraught Chennai Super Kings skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad didn't have much explanation to offer after a third straight defeat as he took the blame on himself. CSK lost to RCB by 43 after Tim David wreaked havoc and the visiting team's top order blown away quickly by Jacob Duffy. "If I would have contributed more, maybe it could have been different. It (the loss) was definitely on me today," he said.. "We still had the game in our hands till the 13-14th over (of the bowling innings but let momentum slip after it." On Tim David's smashing a 25-ball-70, Gaikwad expressed his disappointment on not getting him quickly when Anshul Kamboj yorked the batter only to find that he had overstepped. "Almost got a wicket of him but it was an illegal delivery. After that, he smacked it all around the park. Hats off to him." Pleased as punch after his game-turning knock, RCB's Australian big-hitter Tim David attributed his superb performance against CSK to the inputs provided by his
Pleased as punch after his game-turning 25-ball-70, RCB's Australian big-hitter Tim David attributed his superb performance against CSK to the inputs provided by his team's batting coach Dinesh Karthik which helped him prepare for these conditions. David, whom his skipper Rajat Patidar termed as the "best finisher he has ever seen", hit eight sixes apart from three boundaries as RCB piled 250 for 3 and then bowled out CSK for 207. "I do not change my game much, but I have confidence from all the preparation that I do. It is nice to work with DK (Dinesh Karthik's fraternity name), he is an experienced player in these conditions. I have been in the IPL for a few years and with that kind of preparation, you don't put pressure on yourself to perform," David said at the post match presentation. He certainly was happy as this kind of performance do not happen every day. "Very pleased - it does not always happen that way. The skipper (Rajat Patidar, who scored 48 off 19 balls) was smoking