Jasprit Bumrah’s unusually off-colour spell briefly opened a door for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, and that glimpse was enough to remind Mumbai Indians how quickly a rain-affected chase can swing. After the match, Mumbai captain Hardik Pandya admitted it was “fascinating” to see a 15-year-old become part of the tactical planning even before a ball was bowled. The youngster, though, made the attention worthwhile with a destructive cameo in Guwahati.
Quick facts
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi hit 39 off 14 balls in a rain-curtailed match in Guwahati.
- He struck two sixes off Jasprit Bumrah in a brief mini-battle during the second over.
- Rajasthan reached 80 runs in the first five overs.
- Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 77* off 18 balls and anchored Rajasthan’s innings after strong early acceleration.
- Rajasthan finished on 150/3, with Jaiswal playing a match-winning innings.
- Impact Score: Jaiswal 79.12 vs Sooryavanshi 44.5.
- Jaiswal’s innings included a 22-run first over against Deepak Chahar and another quick burst against Trent Boult in the third over, with four sixes in total (three vs Boult and four boundaries vs Chahar).
- Jayawardene said Mumbai had the threat identified, but execution slipped after Bumrah missed his length.
- Jaiswal made it a second consecutive fifty, after scoring 55 vs Gujarat Titans.
Sooryavanshi’s fireworks carried the loudest headline, but the duel with Bumrah was the sharpest moment of the contest. In the second over, the Mumbai spearhead—often regarded as the standout T20 bowler of his era—found himself facing a teenager still waiting on an India call-up, yet already drawing comparisons to legends such as Sachin Tendulkar.
Mumbai had clearly done their homework. The plan was ready for Sooryavanshi, but Bumrah’s opening ball to him set the wrong tone. Instead of the length he typically targets during the powerplay, or the short ball used to test batters, he delivered a leg-stump half-volley at 131.2 kph, right in the slot—an uncharacteristic miss at the start of the contest.
Sooryavanshi immediately punished it, hoisting the ball over long-on for a six. Bumrah responded with a correction on the very next delivery, going slower and giving no easy width, forcing the batter to take a single—an unusual pause in an innings otherwise built for aggression. But the teenager did not lose momentum; on the next ball he again seized the initiative.
This time, Bumrah sent a short ball into his body, and Sooryavanshi reacted with a swift rock-back and swivel. The shot went over backward square leg for another maximum, underlining both instinct and clean execution in a high-pressure burst.
The rest of the over brought dots, but the damage had already been done. Mumbai could absorb some of it, yet the early disruption mattered more because the match was reduced by rain and every over carried extra weight.
Jayawardene’s admission: plans were there, execution wasn’t
Mumbai head coach Mahela Jayawardene acknowledged they had expected the threat, even if the impact landed differently than planned. He pointed to the fact that Bumrah probably slipped slightly in his length, allowing Sooryavanshi to get set and then take the bowlers apart.
“We knew his talent from last year. We had controlled him then. But Bumrah probably missed his length slightly, and he was ready for it. He really took our bowlers down,” Jayawardene said after the match.
Still, Sooryavanshi’s cameo did not fully explain Rajasthan’s momentum. The real torment came from Yashasvi Jaiswal, whose early overs set the tone and made Mumbai’s task far tougher than it looked on paper.
Jaiswal’s early assault sets the platform
Sooryavanshi’s 14-ball 39 helped Rajasthan move fast, reaching 80 runs inside the first five overs. Yet Jayawardene stressed that the biggest damage came from the other half of the partnership—because of the way Jaiswal batted through the initial phase.
“Don’t forget Jaiswal — the way he batted in the first three overs. He played some outstanding shots and batted through the innings,” the coach said.
Jaiswal’s innings featured a 40 off 16 balls during a crucial stretch, including a 22-run first over against Deepak Chahar and a similarly quick burst in the third over against Trent Boult. That run included four sixes across the spell—three against the left-arm pacer—and four boundaries against Chahar.
Rajasthan raced to 89 in the first six overs, with Jaiswal contributing exactly 45 off 18 balls. Even as wickets tumbled around him, he stayed composed, adding 22 runs off the next 14 deliveries to end unbeaten on 77, steering the side to a match-winning 150 for three.
Match metrics underlined how decisive Jaiswal’s impact was. His Impact Score of 79.12 sat comfortably ahead of Sooryavanshi’s 44.5, highlighting that while the teenager’s burst sparked headlines, the platform was built by Jaiswal’s control and tempo.
It was also Jaiswal’s second straight fifty, following a 55 against Gujarat Titans. Where Sooryavanshi had dominated in the previous game, this time Jaiswal took charge—showing he can match the pace of Rajasthan’s teenage sensation and, when needed, carry the innings through the remaining overs.
