RR vs LSG: Vaibhav Suryavanshi shows age is just a number with explosive debut even as Royals’ miserable run continues

Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) horror season continued on Saturday as they suffered their fourth defeat of the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) on the trot, succumbing to a two-run defeat against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). It was the second time in as many games where the Royals failed to chase down a target after finding themselves in a position from where they could have cruised to victory.

Mitchell Starc had starred in Delhi Capitals’ thrilling triumph at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday with a couple of exceptional overs towards the end of the match, the second one coming in the Super Over. Three days later, it was Avesh Khan halting the Royals on their tracks in their own backyard with his death over heroics, striking thrice in his last two overs while conceding just 11 runs.

What made the two games all the more interesting was the fact that the Royals needed 9 to win from the last six deliveries, and had plenty of wickets in hand. And the manner in which they failed to pull off the task despite the odds being lined in their favour highlights the lack of belief in the Royals, who appear down and out with six defeats in eight outings and are on the verge of official elimination from the IPL 2025 playoffs race.

It wasn’t an entirely disappointing evening for RR at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium on Saturday though, with the home team having dominated large parts of the evening fixture. There were quite a few positives for the side from their performance against the Super Giants, the most prominent of which was the debut of one Vaibhav Suryavanshi .

Suryavanshi makes a big impression at just 14 years of age

Suryavanshi had made grabbed headlines in November after becoming the youngest player ever to earn an IPL contract at the age of 13, with the Royals buying him for Rs 1.10 crore from his base price of Rs 30 lakh. And given his tender age, it would be safe to suggest Suryavanshi’s debut was among the things that many were looking forward to in the 18th season of the world’s biggest T20 league.

It took a while for the left-handed batter from Bihar to realise his dream of playing in the IPL, and that moment finally arrived on Saturday evening in the ‘Pink City’, where stand-in captain Riyan Parag announced Suryavanshi’s inclusion 23 days after his 14th birthday.

At an age where most kids would be busy either watching cartoons or playing in the neighbourhood park after school or doing their homework, Suryavanshi was walking out to begin RR’s chase of the 181-run target set by LSG alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, who’s also a youngster but something of a seasoned veteran when compared with the teenager.

And while Suryavanshi did not join the elite club of players scoring a half-century on IPL debut, it took the 14-year-old just two balls to highlight that he belonged at this level despite being a schoolkid.

Not only did the southpaw smack senior Indian all-rounder Shardul Thakur for a maximum in his first delivery in the IPL in the very first over of the chase, he extended a similar welcome to Avesh in the following over.

He did have his fair share of luck though, getting dropped by Prince Yadav near deep midwicket later in Avesh’s first over, with the ball running away to the boundary rope for a four.

Suryavanshi would go on to smash leg-spinner Digvesh Rathi, who has been one of the most economical bowlers of the season so far, for a maximum shortly after the conclusion of the powerplay.

And he hung around long enough to take his opening partnership with Jaiswal to 85 before getting stumped off Aiden Markram’s off-spin in the ninth over of the chase, laying the foundation for what should have been a successful chase of the Royals. He departed for 34 off 20 balls, smashing three sixes and two fours along the way.

Suryavanshi appeared to be wiping tears from his face while making the slow walk back to the dugout after his dismissal, disappointed with missing out on the opportunity to convert his promising start into a half-century.

Suryavanshi, however, has left quite the impression in the minds of his the RR team management and his teammates, as well as those who watched his memorable debut on Saturday. The Royals unearthed a gem in their latest outing, and have plenty of reason to believe that the 14-year-old can do wonders in the years to come, for himself as well as for the team.