Rajasthan Royals head coach Rahul Dravid spills beans about IPL debut of 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi: 'Talented but...'

Rajasthan Royals head coach Rahul Dravid backed 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi as he said the team is open to the idea of including 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi in the ongoing IPL 2025 season. Dravid mentioned that they are ready to allow the young player time to adjust to the tournament's demanding environment. Before RR faced Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on March 30, the coach highlighted that they are not looking to experiment too much with the team's lineup, particularly with the still-inexperienced Vaibhav.

The Royals made news by acquiring Vaibhav Suryavanshi for Rs 1 crore in the mega auction, after his impressive performances in domestic cricket and with the India U-19 team. This move generated significant excitement among fans and cricket experts, who are keen to see the young talent in action.

During the pre-match press conference before the CSK match, Dravid emphasised the importance of carefully timing Vaibhav's introduction to the IPL and expressed confidence in the management's approach to his debut.

What did Rahul Dravid said for Vaibhav Suryavanshi?

“He is training really well, and he looks like a really good and exciting talent but there are other equally good players as well and part of our responsibility is to groom him well, give him a little bit of time in the environment, let him get used to it and practice with the players, let him get a feel of the environment, all these are great experiences for him, rather than putting him straight in front of the crowd so it’s a part of the process we follow in grooming a player and if an opportunity arises we won’t be scared to play him if it is required," Dravid said in the pre-match press conference.

Rajasthan Royals have had a difficult start to their IPL 2025 season, losing to Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders. Stand-in captain Riyan Parag has been leading the team in place of regular skipper Sanju Samson, who is playing only as a batter.

Rahul Dravid on Riyan Parag

Regarding Riyan Parag's role as the new No.3 batter, Dravid showed strong support, even though the batter scored only 4 and 25 runs in the first two matches. The head coach maintained that Parag has undeniable potential and is confident he will find his form as the tournament continues.

"Look, Riyan [Parag] is one of our best batters, let's be honest. And we want to give him as many balls as we possibly can. Twenty overs is a very short time and the more balls Riyan Parag bats for us, the better it is for us as a team. But honestly, the move to No. 3 was a positive move to try and give him more time to bat. And we know how destructive a player he is and if he gets more time, then he can score more runs and that can benefit the team. And I think he's quite comfortable, he's more than capable of batting at any position," Dravid concluded.

Meanwhile, in the RR vs CSK match in Guwatati, Rajasthan Royals initially dominated, threatening to surpass 200 runs. However, Chennai's bowlers staged a strong comeback, limiting them to 182 runs, which seemed achievable. Despite Ruturaj Gazaikwad's impressive 63 runs off 44 balls, Chennai fell short by 6 runs.