15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi once again proved why he is considered one of the most exciting young talents in the IPL, but Matthew Hayden believe rajasthan royals In T20 cricket, the openers still have important lessons to learn.In Rajasthan’s massive 230-run chase against the Gujarat Titans at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, Sooryavanshi looked dangerous from the start. The left-hander blasted 36 runs off just 16 balls, briefly giving Royals hope of completing a stunning chase. However, Mohammad Siraj Eliminating the teenager at a crucial moment, Rajasthan never really recovered from the setback and ended up in a 77-run defeat.
In a post-match interview, Hayden admitted that he was impressed by the fearless attitude displayed by the young batsman. But the former Australia opener also explained why quick cameos alone aren’t enough when the total goes past 220.“Well, tonight was a good example of that, yes, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is an exciting young talent. He batted 30 and struck 300. But when you’re going for the odd 220, you need to hit the ball farther and deeper. So the advantage we have is we have players like the top three you mentioned who have batted 150,” Hayden told reporters at the post-match press conference.Hayden then highlighted the differences between the Gujarat Titans and many other teams this season. According to him, the Titans’ consistency in the top order is based on balancing offense and durability.“Let me tell you, it’s really hard as a hitter, they’ve been doing this for a long time, they’re constantly getting into the back half of the game and not just hitting the ball on the power play. Their fitness and ability is improving to really play Test match type cricket, especially ODI cricket,” he added.The front three of the Gujarat Titans are one of the most consistent batting teams in IPL 2026. Shubman Gill This season’s field goal percentage is 160.41, while If the housekeeper and Sai Sudharsan’s strike rate remained at 151.96 and 157.70 respectively.Hayden also admitted that Gujarat usually prefers to play matches with a par total of around 160 to 180. That’s why he’s particularly pleased with the way the Titans have adapted their batting approach to produce an explosive performance against an unpredictable Rajasthan side.“So, I like the fact that we built in the innings. Tonight, we set a target and it was a different challenge for us and our batting total was in the 160 range. I would back our batting to be able to get through any day of the week, so to be able to face the challenge of an X-factor team like Rajasthan Royals tonight was very important for us,” Hayden said.Earlier in the match, Gill had led the Gujarat batsmen with a brilliant 84 off 44 deliveries to help the Titans post a daunting 229/6 in 20 overs before their bowlers registered a crushing victory.
