Vaibhav Sooryavanshi headache in Pat Cummins' mind, SRH skipper confirms extra prep ahead of Eliminator

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been one batter oppositions have found difficult to contain in the IPL 2026. The 15-year-old sensation has set the stage alight with the jaw-dropping performances throughout the IPL 2026 and is in race for the orange cap too. As the Rajasthan Royals face Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2026 Eliminator, eyes will be set on Sooryavanshi and how he performs, which could play a major role in deciding this contest.

Sooryavanshi has had mixed outings against SRH this season. He was dismissed for a golden duck in the first meeting between the two sides in Hyderabad and slammed a stellar hundred in the reverse fixture in Jaipur. 

Bowler needs to work on plan B and C against Sooryavanshi: Cummins

SRH captain Pat Cummins knows how crucial it is to keep the prodigy silent, or else he could run away with the game.

"It’s always a balance of, as a bowler, understanding what you do well and how you’re going to bowl to your strengths. But when there are probably one or two players in every lineup who can take the game away from the opposition, you do spend a little bit longer working on a Plan B or Plan C. So, yeah, we’ll plan for him," Cummins told JioStar. 

Sooryavanshi slammed a 37-ball 103 with 12 sixes and five fours when he faced SRH last. "Even though he got a hundred against us last time, I thought there were times when we actually bowled quite well to him and kept him quiet. At other times, he got away from us. So, we’ll learn from that," Cummins said.

There is bit more pressure of playoffs: Cummins

The SRH skipper admitted that there remains a 'bit more pressure' in the IPL playoffs, needing to put the best foot forward for such games. "I think you want to keep a lot of things similar to what got you into the finals. But there’s also a bit more pressure, a few more nerves, so you want to acknowledge that. 

"I always like to think, ‘How are you going to look back on that game with no regrets?’ So, that’s always kind of my mentality going into a final. Instead of being more conservative, try to be even more aggressive. We have to win three in a row to win it. We’ve won more than that throughout the season. We won five in a row at one stage, so it’s possible. These are teams that we know quite well. So, yeah, it’s not going to be easy, but I feel like we can do it."

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