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Six-time Indian Premier League (IPL) winner Ambati Rayudu has advised opener Yashasvi Jaiswal to leave Rajasthan Royals (RR) and join another franchise to avoid being overshadowed by the 15-year-old wonderkid Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Rayudu believes in Jaiswal’s ability to win games on his own. He considers him a star but says that he can’t be looking to compete with Sooryavanshi who scored a 27-ball 97 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in IPL 2026 Eliminator, including 12 sixes.
“He needs to change his team because he cannot just bat with the guy and be overshadowed every single time because he's a star in his own right. If he goes to another team, he will win games on his own,” Rayudu told ESPNcricinfo.
“And he needs that space and a platform because this guy will keep continuing to overshadow people. And it has to be a senior partner, along with him, who can deal with it. Be happy for him. Be happy for what is happening and not contest, not be in a contest with your non-striker or your striker. You can't, you can't compete with him,” Rayudu added.
During the conversation, Mumbai Indians (MI) were mentioned as a probable franchise where he can open. Rayudu considers it an ideal franchise he should play for especially because he plays first-class cricket for the Mumbai team.
“That can be a nice fit. That's a great team to play for, for Jaiswal, MI,” Rayudu concluded.
Jaiswal scores at 100 strike rate in Eliminator
In the eliminator, Jaiswal watched Sooryavanshi smash SRH bowlers for fours and sixes from the other end. He hit Eshan Malinga for a boundary but preferred taking singles to get Sooryavanshi on strike. In the powerplay overs, he faced 16 balls and scored 19 runs while Sooryavanshi scored 60 off just 20 deliveries. When Sooryavanshi departed, Jaiswal was batting on 25 off 20 balls.
He played a few dot deliveries against Shivang Kumar and Nitish Kumar Reddy in next two overs. Then, he lost his wicket to Shivang in an attempt to clear the long-off fielder. He was caught in the deep by Abhishek Sharma. The opener departed for a run-a-ball 29.
Jaiswal below 500-run mark in IPL 2026
In the ongoing season, Jaiswal is RR's third-highest run-scorer. From 15 innings, he has scored 426 runs at an average of 32.76 and strike rate of 153.23, including three fifties. His best of unbeaten 32-ball 77 this season came against MI in a rain-curtained 11 overs per side game.
Will Jaiswal be retained before next mega auction?
Jaiswal was retained for Rs 18 crore by RR, Rs 4 crore more than captain Riyan Parag. However, in current scenario if RR have to retain five players before IPL 2028 mega auction, they are likely to be Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Sooryavanshi, Jofra Archer and Donovan Ferreira. Even if they don't retain Ferreira, Jaiswal may not be retained for Rs 18 crore by the franchise. In this case, he may make himself available at the mega auction where franchises like MI, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Delhi Capitals (DC), Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
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