RR vs MI IPL 2026: ‘Fascinating to See a 16-Year-Old Boy Play Like That’ — Hardik Pandya Lavishes Praise on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | WATCH

Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya was all in praise of youngster Vaibhav Sooryavanshi after the left-handed batter once again showed his talent and smashed a 14-ball 39 in a rain-affected fixture between MI and Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati on Tuesday. 

Sooryavanshi along with Yashasvi Jaiswal provided a quick start to the team as the Royals posted 150/3 in 11 overs. 

“It is quite fascinating to see a 17 or a 16-year-old boy playing the way he played. At the same point of time, discussing so much about him in the preparation leading up to the game. So yeah, amazing to see the way he bats, the kind of fearlessness he has, the kind of shots he has. I wish him absolute good luck in the future,” Hardik said after the match. 

What Went Wrong For MI in IPL 2026 Fixture?

Hardik noted the poor execution of his bowlers and said that in these 11 overs, the bowlers had to take more responsibility than bowlers.

“I think we did not execute the deliveries which we were supposed to, and they played well. I think our bowlers need to take responsibility. As a bowling group, we were not at all up to the mark, and they played tremendous cricket. I would not put this game on the batting. This was definitely the bowling unit which had to take responsibility. It is T20 cricket, it is about always bowling those right couple of balls. So if we had executed the right balls, yeah, we would have been in the game,” he 
noted. 

What Are Mumbai’s Plans For Next Game?

Speaking on their next game against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on April 12 at home, he said, “Just learn from the mistakes. The morning will come tomorrow, the sun will rise. So yeah, just learn from our mistakes and prepare well for the next game”.

RR is at the top of the points table with three in three, delivering sensational results under skipper Riyan Parag. After starting off with a win against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), MI has failed against Delhi Capitals (DC) and RR and are at the seventh spot in the points table.

Put to bat first, RR made 150/3 in 11 overs. In the run-chase, MI could not find the right tempo and lost wickets regularly, with Burger (2/21), Sandeep (2/25) and Bishnoi (2/26) being the pick of the bowlers.

(With Agency Inputs)

Also Read: IPL 2026 Points Table | Latest Standings on April 8 After RR Beat MI— MI, KKR, RCB, SRH, CSK, PBKS, RR, GT, LSG, DC