New Delhi: Gujarat Titans pacer Kagiso Rabada believes Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s performances have gone beyond discussions about age, with the South African quick hailing the Rajasthan Royals teenager’s fearless approach and natural instincts after another stunning knock in IPL 2026 Qualifier 2.
Even as Gujarat booked their place in the IPL final with a seven-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals on Saturday, Rabada admitted that Sooryavanshi’s 96-run innings once again left opponents in awe, describing the 15-year-old as a player who continues to surprise everyone watching the tournament.
Sooryavanshi’s extraordinary season has become one of the biggest stories of IPL 2026. Although the youngster fell four runs short of a century, his innings once again left opposition players searching for superlatives. Rabada admitted the young RR opener’s exploits continue to surprise even seasoned international cricketers.
“He just keeps amazing everyone who watches the game. He’s got such fast hands, and he picks length quickly. He’s got so much energy. When you’re young, you have so much energy and no fear, and that’s exactly what he’s shown, no fear and just a natural instinct for the game that allows him to perform the way he is performing,” Rabada told JioStar.
For Rabada, the conversation around Sooryavanshi’s age is becoming increasingly irrelevant given the consistency of his performances on the biggest stage.
“At this stage, you throw age out of the window; it doesn’t matter how old he is. It’s amazing what he’s doing,” he added.
Assessing the plans against Rajasthan’s opening batters, Rabada admitted Gujarat did not always execute as intended despite making early breakthroughs.
“The plan was to back our strengths, as we normally do, and hopefully get early wickets. We did get two early wickets, but then they fought back, and we missed our mark by bowling a few too many short balls, where we probably wanted to challenge them a bit more upfront,” the pacer stated.
The South African quick was referring to Rajasthan’s recovery after early setbacks through a remarkable partnership led by the in-form Sooryavanshi, who compiled a scintillating 96 off 47 deliveries and nearly carried his side to an even bigger total. Rabada acknowledged that Rajasthan briefly gained the upper hand during the middle overs, saying, “They got away from us a little, but we knew we weren’t completely out of it because we knew we could still get wickets.”
Despite conceding 214/6, Rabada felt Gujarat remained within touching distance of the contest, even after Donovan Ferreira’s late assault propelled Rajasthan beyond the 200-run mark.
“I think we had the game under control until the 19th over. It was pretty tough for Rashid to come on and bowl on this wicket as a spinner against some genuine power hitters. We probably felt that 180-190 was what we should have restricted them to, barring the dropped catch.”
A key factor in Gujarat’s campaign has been the new-ball partnership between Rabada and Mohammed Siraj. The duo once again shared the responsibility of applying pressure at the top, and Rabada was effusive in his praise for the Indian fast bowler.
“Siraj’s my partner this season. We’ve just been trying to operate as a partnership. If he’s putting pressure on from the other end, then hopefully I can do the same, and that’s how we get wickets,” the Protea quick mentioned.
Rabada highlighted how their understanding has helped Gujarat build pressure from both ends of the pitch as he said, “Everyone knows him. He’s got a lot of heart, and he’s got a lot of skill too. What a bowler! It’s lovely to be bowling with him. It just increases your chances of getting a wicket because someone at the other end is applying just as much pressure, if not more.”
(IANS)
