Irfan Pathan praised Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for the impact he has had for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. The Royals are set to face the Gujarat Titans at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Saturday, May 9.
Pathan recalled that Sooryavanshi enthralled the cricket fraternity last year at the same venue when the Royals faced the Titans. The southpaw smashed an awe-inspiring century off just 35 balls on April 28. Pathan mentioned that the 15-year-old might be able to
replicate the heroics.
"There will be memories of that knock against GT last season, both for our 'Fearless Prodigy' Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and the GT bowlers, because it was so unexpected-a teenager taking on the best when his team was struggling to win games," Jiostar expert Irfan Pathan said ahead of IPL 2026 Revenge Week.
"This time, though, the tables have turned. RR have managed to hold on to a spot in the top four, while GT are slowly gathering momentum. 400 runs at a strike-rate of 230 is outrageous for the youngster in the season so far and it will be interesting to see if RR's young core fires again on what look like flat wickets in Jaipur," he added.
Earlier in the season, the Royals and Titans met at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. It turned out to be a high-scoring thriller. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel slammed whirlwind half-centuries, while Sooryavanshi chipped in with an enterprising cameo as the Royals finished on 210/6 in 20 overs.
In reply, the Gujarat Titans gave a good account of themselves, with Sai Sudharsan leading the charge with a 44-ball 73. Rashid Khan and Kagiso Rabada showed great resilience in the back end of the innings, but Tushar Deshpande defended 11 runs in the last over as the Titans finished on 204/8.
Rajathan Royals have won six out of 10 matches and lost only four. In their most recent clash, they lost to the Delhi Capitals by seven wickets. Meanwhile, the Titans also have six wins and four defeats from 10 games, but their net run rate is -0.147 compared to the Royals' +0.510.
