The IPL 2026 the journey has come to an end Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Thursday after a seven-wicket defeat against Gujarat Titans (GT) in 2nd classification at New Chandigarh. Despite the disappointing result, the tournament once again belonged to the teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshiproduced another dazzling innings under pressure and ended his promotion campaign in style.
Rajasthan Royals head coach and director of cricket after the match Kumar Sangakkara charted the youngster’s incredible rise and spoke about what the future holds for one of the most exciting talents in world cricket.
Kumar Sangakkara backs Vaibhav Suryavanshi for top honors
Suryavanshi once again showed his class against Gujarat Titans and smashed 96 off just 47 deliveries in a tough Qualifier 2 encounter. The 15-year-old ended IPL 2026 with the Orange Cap, cementing his status as one of the season’s breakout stars with three scores of over 90 in his last four innings.
Speaking after the match, Sangakkara praised the young up-and-comer and expressed confidence that bigger opportunities would soon come his way. The former Sri Lankan captain highlighted the maturity shown by Suryavanshi throughout the tournament and praised the way he adapted to different match situations.
“You never know if someone is ready until they play and with everything Vaibhav has shown against the best bowlers in the world, I think he is ready to face any challenge you throw at him and I am sure he will get that call very, very soon. We are very, very proud of him. We want to make sure that he continues, that he intends to, that he maintains his fearless attitude and that he continues to grow.” Sangakkara said.
How Rajasthan Royals manage Suryavanshi’s development?
Sangakkara revealed that Rajasthan Royals has a long-term plan in place for the teenage sensation and is focused on ensuring that his growth continues beyond IPL 2026. The Royals coach also confirmed that the franchise will continue to monitor Suryavanshi closely during the off-season.
“I think we have a good plan around him. We don’t mess with his mind too much. He comes to all our team meetings, contributes, listens and does a lot of homework. He trains well and reads the ball as well. He watches videos and prepares himself very well. Therefore, we do not want to put unnecessary thoughts in his mind. I think that a clear mind fighting with courage is what we want to see about him. We will sit down with our medical team and review what he needs and then support him. We will conduct our camps, he will have ample practice opportunities with us in Nagpur. So we will monitor all our players very closely, not just Vaibhav,” Sangakkara said.
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Suryavanshi shines despite RR’s Qualifier 2 exit
Even though Rajasthan Royals managed to reach the final of IPL 2026, Suryavanshi again stood tall with the bat. Chasing a place in the title clash, RR posted 214/6 after the rookie’s brilliant 96-run knock, but Gujarat Titans successfully chased down the target. Shubman Gill score a century and Sai Sudharsan half a century.
Suryavanshi finished the season with 776 runs off 237 innings and established himself as one of the most devastating batsmen in IPL history. With Sangakkara publicly backing him for international cricket, the youngster’s performances have only fueled growing calls for an India opportunity in the near future.
