Rajasthan Royals (RR) will lock horns against Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 Qualifier 2 clash on Friday, May 27 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur. Ahead of the crucial game, RR's teen sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has opened up on his fearless batting approach.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi reveals key behind his mindset
Speaking about his batting mindset, the 15-year-old opener revealed that he does not focus on personal milestones during games and prioritises the team's demands. Vaibhav credited his father for shaping this approach, saying he was taught from a young age not to chase individual records.
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"Since childhood, my father has always told me that if you score a hundred, a double hundred, or even a triple hundred, but the team does not win because of it, then those runs hold no value. They may only for your personal record, but they do not benefit the team. Cricket, in the end, is a team game. So, if I score 80 instead of a hundred and my team wins, and if we still do not win despite me scoring a century, then that 80 means more to me than the hundred," said Vaibhav to JioHotstar.
The young opener feels that as long his team stays in the tournament, opportunities to score centuries and break records will come along the way, making team success his top priority.
"The longer my team stays in the tournament and the deeper we go into the playoffs and finals, the more chances I will get to score hundreds and achieve whatever records I want to break. So, it benefits both me personally and the team as well," added Sooryavanshi.
Opening up on RR's mindset ahead of Qualifier 2 game against GT, Vaibhav said that the entire side is looking to go with a positive intent and play on their strength to give a tough competition to the opposition team. Sooryavanshi expressed his wish to lift the title with RR.
"We are looking to go in with a good mindset and positive intent and continue doing what the whole team has done throughout the tournament. We should continue to enjoy the game, which we always do, not take the pressure of a big match, and back our strengths. As a team and as a unit, we want to reach the finals and hopefully lift the trophy," said Vaibhav.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's superb campaign in IPL 2026
The left-handed opener has endured a stunning individual campaign in the ongoing IPL 2026 season. In 15 matches, Vaibhav has managed to amass 680 runs at an average of 45.33 with a staggering strike rate of 242.85. He is entering the game against GT after scoring an astonishing knock of 97 runs off just 29 balls against SRH in the Eliminator fixture.
In the game against SRH, Vaibhav managed to hit 12 massive sixes. During his stay at the crease, he broke Chris Gayle's long standing record hitting most sixes in a single IPL season. Gayle smashed 59 sixes in IPL 2012 while representing RCB, meanwhile Vaibhav now stands at 65 sixes.