Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s explosive opening stands for Rajasthan Royals have already lit up IPL 2026 this season.
The duo have been in sensational touch this season and have fired on all cylinders in the Royals’ three wins this campaign.
In the first game against Chennai Super Kings in Guwahati, the duo put on 75 runs together in 38 balls for the opening stand to make short work of a comfortable chase.
Against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad, the duo was on the prowl again and smashed 70 off 38 balls in their partnership - one which proved pivotal to what was eventually a narrow six-run win.
The hard-hitting left-handers were again at their destructive best against five-time Indian Premier League champions Mumbai Indians at the ACA Stadium on Tuesday as their early blitz of 80 from just 30 balls set the foundation for another win in a tricky rain-curtailed match.
Their partnerships have been the talk of the town and a nightmare for opposition teams this year. The secret, Yashasvi Jaiswal, believes, is a constant open line of communication and a ton of mutual respect between him and Vaibhav.
“The way he (Vaibhav) has been playing is tremendous. He’s working so hard as well,” Jaiswal said after the MI match. “We keep having these discussions about how we can go about things. And if he’s taking on someone, I just keep giving him positive messages - you can go after him, just play freely and khel bindaas.”
“We both like to play our shots, and we keep passing positive messages to each other,” he added.
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Jaiswal, who scored an unbeaten 32-ball 77 against MI, also cited the example of how Vaibhav Sooryavanshi handled Jasprit Bumrah fearlessly during the match.
“First ball, he hit him for a six, and I told him to just keep playing his shots. Bumrah bhai is one of the legends, so if he’s scoring against him, it’s amazing. It made us feel we can take down the other bowlers as well.”
“That took the pressure off me, and then I could take on someone else. It was a good partnership, and we really enjoyed it,” he noted.
The sheer audacity of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 🫡
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 7, 2026
🎥 The 1️⃣5️⃣ year old welcomes Jasprit Bumrah with a maximum! 👏#TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #RRvMI | @rajasthanroyals pic.twitter.com/cI0zqCXz0X
After Jaiswal had hit Deepak Chahar for 22 in the very first over, Vaibhav, playing Bumrah for the first time in his career, smashed a six off the first ball and proceeded to hit one more later in that over.
“When I saw Chahar bhai, I thought I could go after him. Then Bumrah bhai came in, so I felt maybe Vaibhav can take him on while I pick others,” the opener, who currently holds the IPL 2026 Orange Cap with 170 runs from three games, explained.
At 24, Jaiswal is nine years older than Vaibhav. However, he still doesn’t consider himself as the senior partner among the duo and considers the teenager his equal in the partnership because of Vaibhav’s maturity.
“I don’t think I’m the ‘bade bhaiya’,” Jaiswal said. “Vaibhav is amazing and understands the game very well.”
