IPL 2026 | Why Vaibhav Sooryavanshi plays only as Impact Player: Rajasthan Royals coach explains
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, a 15-year-old batting sensation for Rajasthan Royals, has been playing exclusively as an Impact Player in IPL 2026. This decision has drawn criticism from former players who believe it may hinder his development. Rajasthan's assistant coach Trevor Penny defended the choice, emphasizing that it was based on strategy rather than fielding ability.
- ▪Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has scored 579 runs in 13 matches at an average of 44.53.
- ▪Critics like Sanjay Manjrekar and Mohammed Kaif argue that not fielding could impede Sooryavanshi's growth.
- ▪Rajasthan Royals' assistant coach Trevor Penny stated that the decision was made to keep Sooryavanshi fresh for batting.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ipl-2026-why-vaibhav-sooryavanshi-172900072.html","headline":"IPL 2026 | Why Vaibhav Sooryavanshi plays only as Impact Player: Rajasthan Royals coach explains","datePublished":"2026-05-23T17:29:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-23T17:29:00.000Z","keywords":["Vaibhav Sooryavanshi","Sanjay Manjrekar","Mohammed Kaif","IPL","Impact Player","Trevor Penny","RR","Wankhede Stadium","Joffrey Archer","Jofra Archer"],"description":"Rajasthan's 15-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, an Impact Player, faces scrutiny from former India players for not fielding.
…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Yahoo Sports.