NEW DELHI: Despite playing a brilliant innings in the IPL 2026 playoffs, Vibhu Suryavanshi believes he made one crucial mistake that cost him Rs. Rajasthan Royals‘Out of the tournament. Royals were knocked out in Qualifier 2 when Gujarat Titans successfully chased down their target of 214 runs with eight balls to spare.Suryavanshi scored a brilliant 96 and later admitted that Rajasthan could be about 10-12 runs short. Reflecting on the defeat, the 15-year-old said, “There was a lot to look for in the last match. I feel like we fell short by 10-12 runs. But still, I felt like I got the runs in the middle overs, still. It was getting a bit difficult for the new batsman.” (There was a lot to learn from the last match. For example, I feel we fell short by about 10-12 runs. But even so, I think I should have rotated the strike less and kept more of the strike during the middle overs, as it was getting a bit difficult for the new batsmen.)”The youngster explained that it became difficult to bat on the pitch during the middle overs, making life difficult for the incoming batsmen.Looking back, he felt he should have faced more deliveries himself instead of allowing the new players to strike.“The wicket was not good at the time, the wicket was sticky. So I feel like we made a mistake in our time and the new batsmen are coming on strike more. In our time I should have been more on strike (the wicket was not very good, at that time I felt the mistake. The new batsmen strike more. I should have been on strike longer during that period).Although Rajasthan failed to reach the final, Suryavanshi’s season was nothing short of exceptional. The Bihar-born youngster ended IPL 2026 as the tournament’s highest run-scorer, scoring 776 runs at an impressive strike rate of 237.30.His willingness to openly analyze his performance and accept responsibility for defeat has drawn praise, highlighting a level of maturity rarely seen in a player of such a young age. Even after the record-breaking campaign, Suryavanshi was focused on the lessons he could take forward rather than his personal achievements.
