Guwahati

Amazedby Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s seemingly effortless takedown of Jasprit Bumrah, Rajasthan Royals batter Yashasvi Jaiswal said his 15-year-old opening partner eased the pressure on him in the 27-run IPL win over Mumbai Indians on a rain-soaked evening here. The talking point before the match was the first face-off between the redoubtable pacer and the teen sensation, and Sooryavanshi lived up to the hype, smashing an incoming Bumrah 131kph delivery on middle and leg for a first-ball six over mid-on.

“First ball, he hit him for a six, and I told him to just keep playing his shots,” said Jaiswal, who scored a 32-ball 77 not out to lift RR to 150/3 in the 11-overs a side match that was truncated because of inclement weather. Mumbai Indians, in reply, managed 123/9 to slump to a second loss on the trot, while Rajasthan Royals climbed to the top of the table with three wins from three matches.

The Bihar left-hander, who was signed by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 1.1 crore during the 2025 IPL mega auction. He had shown glimpses of his prodigal talent by becoming the youngest centurion in T20 cricket and the second-fastest in IPL history with a record-breaking 35-ball hundred against Gujarat Titans last season.

On Tuesday too, he was in beast mode from the outset, even though Bumrah operating with the new ball. Sooryavanshi, who turned 15 a day before IPL 2026 began, went on to hit two of his four sixes off the pacer in his opening over, setting the tempo early with a 14-ball 39. It made life easier for Jaiswal at the other end as their confidence soared, allowing them to target other MI bowlers like Deepak Chahar and Trent Boult who both leaked 22 runs in their respective overs. “Of course, Bumrah bhai is one of the legends, so if he’s scoring against him, it’s amazing. It made us feel that other bowlers we can also take down,” said Jaiswal, who hit 10 fours and four sixes and anchored the innings,” Jaiswal said. are quite an opposition.”

Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene admitted his side was blown off course by a blistering onslaught from Rajasthan Royals openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

It felt like the Mumbai Indians lacked a bit of purpose and intent with the ball, and that certainly spilled over into the batting. It was always going to be a big task to score 151 in 11 overs,” said former India captain Anil Kumble.