Yashasvi Jaiswal looks lost. The opener seems unsure of his role at the Rajasthan Royals (RR). He’s neither an aggressor nor an anchor. At times, he gets stuck during the powerplay, and if he gets off to a good start, he then falters in the middle overs. This phase of confusion began when Vaibhav Sooryavanshi joined the team.
Jaiswal isn’t unfamiliar with being under someone’s shadow. Shubman Gill, despite having a worse Test record, has always superseded him in red-ball cricket and now is India’s captain in two formats. Even at RR, Sanju Samson was, by far and away, the most famous player.
Jaiswal overshadowed by Sooryavanshi
He was a better opener than Samson. The numbers prove it. He was given the role of the aggressor, and he excelled. However, the moment Sooryavanshi came in, this changed. He blew attacks away on his own. Now, Jaiswal’s expected to just rotate the strike to a 15-year-old child.
His strike rate in the powerplay has gone down from 177.4 in 2025 to 161.8 in 2026. You can see when he’s batting, he’s often unsure what to do. In the Eliminator against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, Jaiswal scored 19 (16) while Sooryavanshi was on 60 (20) after the powerplay.
RR openers in IPL since Sooryavanshi’s debut
| Opener | Innings | Runs | Highest Score | Average | Strike Rate | 100s | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | 22 | 932 | 103 | 42.36 | 231.84 | 2 | 5 |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | 22 | 752 | 77* | 39.57 | 163.47 | 0 | 6 |
It looks like Sooryavanshi’s success has had a negative effect on Jaiswal’s game. His strike rate since Sooryavanshi’s debut is the 13th best for openers with a minimum of 100 runs. He was perhaps the best opener in the league before his arrival. The game’s moving forward, but Jaiswal’s declining.
Time to leave Rajasthan Royals?
Former Mumbai Indians (MI) batter Ambati Rayudu believes Jaiswal needs to leave RR. To him, it’s clear to him that Jaiswal will get that limelight and authority for another team’s opener, which he can’t get at Rajasthan because of Sooryavanshi.
“He needs to change his team. Because he cannot just bat with the guy and be overshadowed every single time. He’s a star in his own right. If he goes to another team, he will win matches on his own. He needs that space and that platform. Because this guy (Sooryavanshi) will keep overshadowing people, it has to be a senior partner alongside him who can deal with it and be happy for him. Be happy for what is happening and not compete with the non-striker,” Rayudu said on ESPNcricinfo.
One can’t forget that Jaiswal has only played for RR. The franchise values him immensely and retained him for INR 18 crore, and he is deputy to captain Riyan Parag. It’s been reported for some time now that Jaiswal has leadership aspirations, and that can’t happen at RR. So, his departure could kill two birds with one stone.
As for which team he could join, Rayudu thinks MI could be the team for him. Rohit Sharma might retire or be moved on from, and then they’ll need an opener. Jaiswal has played for Mumbai in domestic cricket and will be a home player for MI. “Mumbai Indians is a good team for Jaiswal,” he said.
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