Rajasthan Royals opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, still just 15, has continued to turn heads in the IPL 2026 with his fearless start at the top of the order. Yet even with the hype growing by the match, Delhi Capitals pacer Kyle Jamieson produced a moment that instantly became a major talking point—especially for the way he celebrated after removing the teenage batter.
Jamieson struck with a rare low full-length yorker that kept Sooryavanshi under pressure from the first contact. The left-hander was dismissed for four runs, an unusually small score for someone who has looked so fluent this season. What followed, however, is what truly sparked debate: Jamieson celebrated directly in front of Sooryavanshi, erupting into a big roar as the youngster walked back.
That reaction drew the attention of the IPL governing council. Jamieson was issued a warning and also received a demerit point for the celebration, with the decision continuing to split opinion among fans and former players alike. Amid the growing discussion, Jamieson’s New Zealand teammate Lockie Ferguson stepped in with his own perspective on the incident.
Ferguson defended the emotional side of wicket celebrations, arguing that passion is part of T20 cricket and that audiences enjoy seeing players react strongly when they get breakthroughs. Speaking to reporters at a Punjab Kings roundtable, Ferguson said it was understandable that Jamieson got fired up, pointing out that taking wickets is never easy in this part of the world.
“Kyle’s a good mate of mine. He got pretty fired up, which is pretty understandable. Not easy to get wickets in this part of the world, and that was a big one. So I think it’s part of the game. I think fans like to see the passion. I can’t comment on anything from a governing body point of view, but as a player, I think the passion coming out is great for the game,” Ferguson said.
He added that emotions tend to look even more intense when they come from a big presence on the field, suggesting that such reactions often land as theatre rather than disrespect. “As a fan of the game, you like to see players getting passionate, players showing emotion, players being excited to take a wicket. He’s obviously a big guy too, so when a big guy has a lot of emotions, it looks even bigger,” Ferguson added.
Sooryavanshi’s form and the clash that never happened
While the Jamieson moment dominated headlines, Sooryavanshi’s wider impact has remained hard to ignore. The Royals batter has piled up 404 runs in the IPL 2026 season so far, and he has shown the ability to take apart quality bowling attacks, including dismissing bowlers such as Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Jasprit Bumrah.
One matchup fans were particularly eager to see was between Sooryavanshi and Mitchell Starc. However, the contest never materialised in the way supporters hoped: Sooryavanshi faced no deliveries against Starc and was dismissed by Jamieson instead.
Ferguson on T20 cricket’s batter-friendly turn
Ferguson also looked beyond the specific incident, discussing the current rhythm of T20 cricket and why the tournament has become so high scoring. He noted that teams and audiences now largely expect big totals, and he stressed that there is little point debating how the game has tilted towards batters.
Speaking about conditions and talent, the Punjab Kings speedster—who played his first match for the franchise in IPL 2026 against the Rajasthan Royals—said curators and wickets have played a major role in the scoring environment, alongside the depth of emerging Indian talent.
“It’s just the game. It’s the tournament. When you come into this competition, you know it is going to be high-scoring. The curators do fantastic jobs at these grounds. The wickets are amazing, and the talent coming out of India is remarkable. I think from an Indian point of view, it’s amazing to see this kind of talent coming through the ranks,” Ferguson said.
Captaincy praise for Shreyas Iyer
Finally, Ferguson saved special praise for Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer. The New Zealand pacer said he has faced Iyer repeatedly over the years and even played cricket with him when they were younger, adding that he has clearly developed into a confident player despite the ups and downs that come with leadership.
“Shreyas, I have played against him a lot. Played A cricket when we both were younger. You can see he has developed into a confident player. He has had a lot of ups and downs in his career. It’s not easy being a captain, I can imagine the pressure he’s under. He does it so well and he’s pretty consistent with his attitude,” Ferguson said.
