‘Sadly, Vaibhav misses out’: Something is bothering Sooryavanshi at Rajasthan Royals; it’s not his batting

He is 15 years old. He has two IPL half-centuries already this season. He has hit Jasprit Bumrah and Josh Hazlewood for fun. By any measure, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's IPL 2026 campaign has been extraordinary. But, behind the scenes, the Rajasthan Royals' teenage sensation has been quietly unhappy. And, it has nothing to do with his batting.

For two matches in a row, Sooryavanshi has been used as an impact player. He sits out the fielding innings and comes in only to bat. The decision has raised eyebrows among fans and analysts. But, it turns out that it has also bothered the youngster himself.

Rajasthan Royals assistant coach Trevor Penny lifted the curtain on the situation during the IPL 2026 match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. At the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Monday, Penny said Vaibhav wasn’t ‘very happy’.

"The last game he missed out on, he wasn't very happy because he loves his fielding. It's not because he's a poor fielder,” Penny said.

The explanation for the decision is straightforward enough. In the first few matches of the season, Donovan Ferreira was recovering from a collarbone injury sustained during the SA20. With the South African wicketkeeper-batter unavailable, Sooryavanshi played as part of the main playing XI.

But, once Ferreira passed his fitness test and returned to the squad, the balance shifted. That left no room for the teenager in the playing XI during the fielding innings.

"Donovan has passed his fitness test. He broke his collarbone in the SA20. He's a gun fielder. It's good to have him back on the field. Sadly, Vaibhav misses out," Penny added.

Ferreira’s return strengthens Rajasthan significantly in the field. But, asking a teenager who loves every aspect of the game to sit on the bench for half the match is its own kind of challenge.

In his first match of IPL 2026, Sooryavanshi scored 52 runs off just 17 balls against the Chennai Super Kings. He followed that up with 31 off 18 balls against the Gujarat Titans in Match 2, and 39 off 14 balls against the Mumbai Indians in Match 3.

His finest knock of the season so far came in Match 4 against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. He blazed 78 runs off just 26 balls at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati.

Match 5 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad brought his first failure of the season. He was dismissed for a golden duck by debutant Praful Hinge. The southpaw drew a top-edged pull shot that lobbed comfortably to the keeper.

Both his 50s arrived off just 15 balls each. He has already taken apart Jasprit Bumrah and Josh Hazlewood, two of the finest bowlers in world cricket.

Last season, he announced himself with a 35-ball century against the Titans. So far, it is the fastest hundred by an Indian batter in IPL history.

The boy wants to field. The management wants to protect what they have. For now, both sides are managing the arrangement. But, if the form continues, the conversation around how to keep Vaibhav Sooryavanshi happy is only going to get louder.