Rajasthan Royals’ opening pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi are experiencing two very different stories in IPL 2026. The 15-year-old Sooryavanshi has been blazing through the competition, while Jaiswal’s campaign has looked far less steady. With recent form adding to the contrast, Mohammad Kaif also weighed in—pointing to a likely return for Jaiswal while praising Sooryavanshi’s role and impact at the top.
Sooryavanshi vs Jaiswal: contrasting IPL 2026 numbers
Both players have been regular starters for RR, but their output has diverged sharply across the season so far. The latest season-long figures underline that split, with Sooryavanshi combining volume with a fearsome scoring rate, while Jaiswal has struggled to maintain consistency and impact.
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has amassed 680 runs in 15 matches at an average of 45.33, striking at 242.86.
- Yashasvi Jaiswal has scored 426 runs in 15 games at an average of 32.77, with a strike rate of 153.24.
- Jaiswal has also failed to convert starts into longer innings on multiple occasions, with only three half-centuries so far.
Kaif’s take on RR’s openers
Speaking on his YouTube channel, former India batter Mohammad Kaif highlighted why Sooryavanshi’s approach at the top has been so effective—and why Jaiswal, in his view, is still capable of bouncing back.
- Kaif praised Sooryavanshi for delivering explosive starts, saying Jaiswal would eventually make a comeback.
- He suggested Sooryavanshi has taken on the “anchor” responsibility for Rajasthan Royals—a role Kaif said Jaiswal used to perform.
- Kaif added that the teenager is executing that anchoring job “multiple times better” than Jaiswal had done in that position.
- Kaif noted the difference in the way the boundaries are being hit: while Jaiswal used to dominate, Sooryavanshi is now doing the job with an even more destructive scoring pattern.
- He concluded by calling Sooryavanshi an excellent player and describing him as playing a “second fiddle” role extremely well.
Sooryavanshi sets a record with six-hitting display
Wednesday’s match only strengthened the case for Sooryavanshi as IPL 2026’s standout power-hitter. In the Eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad, he produced another defining knock—one that also carried a historic milestone.
- Sooryavanshi went past Chris Gayle to become the player with the most sixes in a single IPL edition.
- He achieved the landmark during a 97-run innings in the Eliminator versus Sunrisers Hyderabad.
- The innings arrived off 29 balls and featured five fours and 12 sixes.
- By the time he finished his knock, he had reached 63 sixes in IPL 2026.
- That total comfortably exceeded Chris Gayle’s previous record of 59 maximums, set in the 2012 season.
Result: RR win by 47 runs and set up Qualifier 2
Sooryavanshi’s record-breaking hitting played a major part in Rajasthan Royals securing the win. RR ultimately overcame Sunrisers Hyderabad by 47 runs, ensuring their place in the next stage of the playoffs.
- Rajasthan Royals won the Eliminator by 47 runs.
- The victory sets up a Qualifier 2 encounter with Gujarat Titans.
