Vaibhav Sooryavanshi wanted to 'answer with the bat', plotted Praful Hinge revenge plan: 'A lot of things were said...'

The 15-year-old has been a nightmare for bowlers this IPL season, showing no regard for their stature. Ask Jasprit Bumrah or Josh Hazlewood, both of whom were smashed with absolute disdain for boundaries. But Hinge did what looked impossible. With a shorter delivery, he rushed the batter into the pull shot and ended up getting him dismissed for a duck.

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Twelve days later, Sooryvanshi returned the favour. He knew Hinge would be pitted against him in the first over of the innings, and he arrived in Jaipur with a "clear plan." But it wasn't merely about the bowler entirely. Speaking on Rajasthan Royals' social media handle, the batter from Bihar revealed that a "lot of things" were said about him after that dismissal, and he just wanted to shut his critics with the bat.

"I went with a clear plan against the bowler. After getting out in the last match, I went back and checked my phone. I saw a lot of things. I usually don't pay attention to those things, but when someone says something to me personally, it affects me a bit. I only wanted to answer with my bat," he said.

Sooryavanshi smacked the bowler for four consecutive sixes in the first over, after which Hinge was taken off the attack. That aggressive start laid the foundation for the batter's 36-ball ton, the third fastest in IPL history. It was also his second IPL century in his career. The previous ton, a 35-ball knock, also came in Jaipur, in IPL 2025 against the Gujarat Titans.

"You know how important it was for me. I was just trying to do exactly what I did in the practice yesterday. I was playing with a free flow from the very first ball, and I planned to do the exact same thing today," he said in conversation with RR manager Romi Bhinder

Sooryavanshi also gave an update on his hamstring injury, saying he will be available for the next game.

"It's fine now. I'm feeling better. I don't know, my foot got stuck. I already had an ankle problem, so to avoid putting too much force on it, I pulled my hamstring. But it's better now. I will recover in time for the next match."

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