Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continued to be the defining story of IPL 2026, with Gujarat Titans pacer Kagiso Rabada admitting the Rajasthan Royals teenager's fearless batting has left even seasoned international cricketers searching for superlatives — even as Gujarat sealed a seven-wicket win in Qualifier 2 on Saturday in New Delhi to book their place in the final. Sooryavanshi, aged just 15, struck a scintillating 96 off 47 deliveries, falling agonisingly short of a century, but his innings once again dominated post-match conversations.

Rabada's Verdict on Sooryavanshi

Rabada was unequivocal in his admiration for the young opener, saying the discussion around his age has become entirely irrelevant. '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 said in an interview with JioStar. He added: '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.'

Gujarat's Bowling Plans and Mid-Over Wobble

Despite the victory, Rabada acknowledged that Gujarat did not execute their bowling plans with full precision against Rajasthan's top order. '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,' he noted. Sooryavanshi's partnership in the middle overs briefly wrested control away from Gujarat, with Rabada conceding: '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.'

Assessing the 214-Run Target

Rajasthan Royals posted 214/6, with Donovan Ferreira's late assault pushing them past the 200-run mark. Rabada felt Gujarat had the game reasonably under control until the final overs. '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,' he said. Despite the total, Gujarat chased down the target with seven wickets in hand.

Rabada and Siraj: Gujarat's New-Ball Partnership

A significant factor behind Gujarat Titans' run in IPL 2026 has been the new-ball partnership between Rabada and Mohammed Siraj. The South African pacer was effusive in his praise for his Indian counterpart. '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,' Rabada said. He elaborated: '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.'

What's Next

With Gujarat Titans now confirmed for the IPL 2026 final, attention turns to whether Sooryavanshi's Rajasthan Royals — eliminated at the Qualifier 2 stage — will factor in future selection conversations at the national level. The teenager's extraordinary season has already sparked widespread debate about fast-tracking young talent in Indian cricket.