Guwahati, April 8 Yashasvi Jaiswal, a batter for Rajasthan Royals, said that his 15-year-old opening partner, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, eased the pressure on him during the 27-run IPL win over Mumbai Indians on a rainy evening here, after seemingly effortlessly dismissing Jasprit Bumrah.
The main talking point before the match was the first face-off between the formidable pacer and the teenage sensation, and Sooryavanshi lived up to the hype, smashing a Bumrah delivery of 131kph in the middle and leg for a six over mid-on on the first ball.
"On the first ball, he hit him for a six, and I told him to just keep playing his shots," said Jaiswal, who scored 77 not out in 32 balls to take RR to 150/3 in the match that was shortened due to inclement weather.
Mumbai Indians, in reply, managed 123/9 and suffered a second consecutive loss, while Rajasthan Royals climbed to the top of the table with three wins from three matches.
The left-handed batter from Bihar, who was signed by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 1.1 crore during the 2025 IPL mega auction. He had shown glimpses of his prodigious talent by becoming the youngest centurion in T20 cricket and the second-fastest in IPL history with a record-breaking hundred in 35 balls against Gujarat Titans last season.
On Tuesday too, he was in top form from the outset, even against Bumrah 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 39 in 14 balls.
This made it 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 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.
"So it was quite good for him to go out and play his shots. That took the pressure off me, and then I could take on someone else. It was a good partnership, and we really enjoyed it."
The duo put on 80 runs off just 30 balls at the top to set the tone.
“It's amazing to bat with Vaibhav. We both like to play our shots, so the way we're playing, we just keep passing positive messages to each other. I've been playing for the last few years, so I just wanted to play according to the situation and give the team the best start," he said.
With two fifties in three matches, Jaiswal is now the leading run-scorer (170), and the left-hander said: "I've been really working hard in the nets, trying different shots. A lot depends on the wicket as well. I always try to do something with my batting and make little changes here and there."
"I just try to live in the present moment and keep enjoying it. I always strive to keep improving," added the 24-year-old.
"We didn't know how this game was going to go because of the rain. We needed to adapt, as Mumbai Indians are quite an opposition."