RR’s assistant coach, Dishant Yagnik, said that Vaibhav Suryavanshi wasn’t feeling any pressure during the game against MI, even after his amazing hundred against GT just days before. Suryavanshi made headlines with his 35-ball century against the Titans, but things didn’t go well for him on Thursday, May 1, when he got out for a duck as MI crushed RR and took them out of the IPL 2025 play-offs. In the post-match talk, Yagnik praised the teenager’s maturity, saying that when he faces tough bowlers, he doesn’t think about media pressure and just focuses on his game.
He explained that Suryavanshi mistimed a shot that could’ve brought him a boundary, leading to his dismissal. “He’s still very young, and when you’re up against a 140 km/h delivery, you don’t think about the media. You focus on your batting. Sometimes the shot that gets you a four can also lead to a wicket, and that’s what happened today, Yagnik noted.
RR made some big changes, letting go of well-known players like Jos Buttler and Yuzvendra Chahal, which many believe has hurt the team’s performance this season. Still, Yagnik stood by the current roster, saying that several of these players will emerge as stars over time. “You made a great point about the term ‘star.’ Not every player is a star when they join; they become one. The new players will grow into their roles just like last year’s team did. Our goal is to create stars rather than just buy them. Vaibhav Suryavanshi made the crowd emotional with his batting and I believe these players will shine in the future,” said Yagnik.
Reflecting on RR’s tough season, Yagnik mentioned that the team’s struggles stem from missing key chances in tight moments of games. “We’ve been close in a lot of matches. Many times, we had a good position to win, but we faltered in those crucial moments. That’s where we lost important points. In about three games, we were almost in control but couldn’t finish strong, which is common in cricket. I believe that’s where we fell short,” Yagnik concluded.