Rajasthan Royals opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is the leading run-scorer for his side with a strike-rate of 232.2 in the IPL 2026 season.
Updated: May 25, 2026 2:21 PM IST
IPL 2026 Playoffs: Rajasthan Royals opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has taken IPL 2026 season by storm. He is the leading run-scorer for his side with 583 runs in 14 league matches at an enormous strike-rate of 232.27 with 1 century and 3 fifties to lift RR into the Playoffs stages. RR, who qualified in 4th place, will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2026 Eliminator match on Wednesday.
Sooryavanshi has become the first and only Indian batter to smash over 50 sixes in a season and he is far from over. The 15-year-old prodigy from Bihar has 53 maximum and by far and away the highest strike-rate among leading batters in the season.
Former India and Royal Challengers Bengaluru pacer Vinay Kumar had a word of advice to the bowlers facing up to Sooryavanshi in the IPL 2026 Playoffs. JioStar expert Vinay Kumar wants bowlers to ‘stick to their basics’ while face the threat of Sooryavanshi.
“Vaibhav Suryavanshi is a tremendous talent and has been playing phenomenal cricket. But against an aggressive batter like him, bowlers need to stick to their basics and trust their strengths. If he is attacking hard, bowling wider lines or cramping him for room can be effective, along with using your variations.
“At times, batters go through a purple patch where everything falls into place, and Vaibhav has enjoyed some of that momentum as well. But whenever bowlers get an opportunity against him, they need to capitalise on it and stick to their strengths,” Kumar said about bowling to Sooryavanshi.
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Former India and Karnataka pacer played in six seasons for RCB before his retirement. Vinay Kumar claimed 105 wickets in 105 matches in his IPL career. The 42-year-old was confident about RCB’s chances for defending their IPL crown.
“RCB have played outstanding cricket this season and, unlike previous years when they were heavily dependent on batting, they are now playing as a team; they look like a complete side. Their middle order, with players like Tim David, Jitesh Sharma and Rajat Patidar, has added stability and power, which is crucial in T20 cricket.
“The biggest difference, though, has been their bowling. Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and the rest of the attack have brought discipline to the attack, which was key at a batting-friendly venue like Chinnaswamy. They stick to the basics and bowl stump-to-stump. Krunal Pandya’s inclusion has also given balance to the side. That balance across departments is one of the main reasons RCB qualified early. If they continue to play this way and finish in the top two, they have a strong chance of reaching, and even winning, the final this year. Women have won two titles, so if men can do the same and win back-to-back, nothing like it,” Vinay Kumar said about RCB.
On Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s role in RCB’s bowling attack, Vinay Kumar said, “Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s role is extremely important for RCB, both as a bowler and as the leader of the attack. He has bowled brilliantly alongside Josh Hazlewood and Rasikh Salam, maintaining a disciplined, almost Test-match-like approach and lengths. With so much experience, I don’t think Bhuvneshwar or the bowling attack will take any pressure in the playoffs. They will look to treat the playoffs like any other game and focus on executing their basics.”
