Yashasvi Jaiswal Admits Getting “Motivated” by 15-Year-Old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi currently leads IPL 2026 with 11 sixes, followed by Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has impressively cleared the ropes eight times so far.

Yashasvi Jaiswal Admits Getting “Motivated” by 15-Year-Old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

Yashasvi Jaiswal praised Vaibhav Suryavanshi for his knock against MI. (via NDTV Sports)

In Short
  • Yashasvi Jaiswal praised 15-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi for motivating him during their IPL match.
  • The duo achieved an impressive 80-run partnership, with Jaiswal scoring 77 runs off 32 balls.
  • Jaiswal and Suryavanshi have consistently formed strong opening partnerships, exceeding 50 runs in all three matches of IPL 2026.

The youngest opening pair in IPL 2026, Rajasthan Royals’ Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, were on fire during the team’s dominant 27-run win over the Mumbai Indians. After the game, Jaiswal publicly mentioned that he finds motivation in the 15-year-old’s play.

RR’s second home game of the ongoing season, against MI, was delayed due to heavy rain. The match was later reduced to an 11-over affair. The home side, hoping to secure their third straight win, opted to bat first against a strong Mumbai bowling attack boasting the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult. Unexpectedly, carnage began after Jaiswal and Sooryavanshi walked out to open for RR. 

The duo put up a formidable 80-run stand by the end of the sixth over, with Jaiswal scoring an unbeaten 77 runs off 32 balls. It was, however, his opening partner, who was the aggressor, as he scored a blistering 39 runs off 14 balls to help his team to a massive 150/3. Sooryavanshi’s trademark six-hitting saw him time the first-ever ball that he faced from the legendary Jasprit Bumrah for a six over long-on. 

The 151-run target proved enough for RR, as they restricted the visitors to 123/9 during the chase, with Nandre Burger, Sandeep Sharma, and Ravi Bishnoi taking two wickets each. Meanwhile, on the teenage sensation, Jaiswal acknowledged his abilities while stating that he was surprised after the young left-hander hit Bumrah for a six, and also added that he had advised him to keep playing his natural game. at the post-match presentation:

First ball, he [Vaibhav Sooryavanshi] hit him for a six, and I told him to just keep playing his shots.

Furthermore, Jaiswal even highlighted that Sooryavanshi’s knock made it easier for him as well as the other RR batters to target the MI bowlers. He also revealed that his young opening partner keeps him motivated, and that the 15-year-old often takes the pressure off him.

Jaiswal and Sooryavanshi have now notched up 50+ run partnerships in all of their three opening games of IPL 2026, including 75 (38) against Chennai Super Kings, and 70 (38) against Gujarat Titans. He added:

I was thinking Vaibhav Sooryavanshi can take on Jasprit Bumrah, the way he has been playing, it’s tremendous. He’s working so hard, I also got motivated by him that I need to develop some different shots.

Both the RR left-handers are also among the tournament’s leading run-getters. While the 24-year-old has scored 170 runs in three innings at a remarkable average of 170 and a strike-rate of 164.46, the Bihar-born prodigy has scored 122 runs at an unbelievable strike-rate of 248.97.

What records did Yashasvi Jaiswal break following his match-winning display against MI?

It was Yashasvi Jaiswal’s night to celebrate, as he delivered a POTM performance in a league-stage IPL 2026 fixture between the Rajasthan Royals and the Mumbai Indians. The 24-year-old scored an unbeaten 77 runs off 32 balls, hitting ten boundaries and four maximums.

Yashasvi Jaiswal records
Yashasvi Jaiswal broke several records, on his way to a fifty against MI in IPL 2026. (via NDTV Sports)

Jaiswal brought up his half-century in just 23 deliveries. In the latter half of the first innings, the left-hander found boundaries against Jasprit Bumrah and Shardul Thakur, to help his team reach 150 runs, which seemed difficult after the wickets of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Riyan Parag. For the opener, it was his 19th 50+ score in the IPL, and he now has the joint second-most for RR alongside Ajinkya Rahane.  

The duo is only behind Sanju Samson and Jos Buttler, both of whom have 25 fifty+ scores in the IPL for the Royals. Jaiswal is just 138 runs away from becoming RR’s fourth-highest run-getter, surpassing the legendary Shane Watson. During his innings against MI, the 24-year-old also completed 100 sixes in the IPL, all for RR, and is just the fourth player behind Samson, Buttler, and Watson to have done so.

Overall, the Team India red-ball opener has scored 2,336 runs in 70 matches for the Rajasthan Royals. His tally includes a remarkable two hundreds and 17 fifties, with the runs coming at an average of 36.50 and a strike-rate of 153.58, including 277 fours and 100 sixes. 

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