Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag on Thursday said Indian batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi should be allowed to enjoy his game without taking any additional pressure in and out of the field. Parag indicated that Sooryavanshi will pair up with India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal in the IPL beginning March 28 and said the 14-year-old should be given his space and time to continue developing in his game without any outside pressure.

“As a captain my message to him would be to not do a lot of press conferences or follow a lot of media,” Parag told reporters during a pre-season press conference.

“Let him just enjoy, which I will request you (media) as well. Do not reach out to his manager or anyone; just let him be. He’s a 15-16 (14) year-old kid, let him play cricket. He’s playing really well and he’s going to make the country proud.” Parag said Sooryavanshi will be given the licence to go all-out from the beginning and his senior partner Jaiswal is well equipped to soak the pressure.

“Of course he will have some pressure coming his way but I am going to tell him that whatever pressure is going to be there, Jaiswal will handle it as he is good enough to handle that role,” Parag said.

“My only message for Vaibhav is to go out and play. If the first ball is meant to be hit, hit it. There’s no issue in that.” “I don’t think any young player has done what he has over the last one year. He is scoring runs everywhere,” Parag added.

Meanwhile, head coach Kumar Sangakkara said he is not too concerned with the Royals not having any member of the Indian side which won the T20 World Cup earlier this month.

“It is what it is. India played amazingly well in the World Cup. I am more interested in the players that we have, rather than the players we don’t have. For me, looking at my squad, there are certainly enough good Indian players, who probably played in both World Cup sides,” he said.

Sangakkara said RR have tried to find more flexibility in the side from the last edition.

“We had to upscale our side in terms a little bit of batting depth, in terms of local spin, in terms of our all-rounders, (and) in terms of more options that we have in the bowling department so that we can also rejig the batting line-up,” he said.

In a pre-season trade, Rajasthan Royals saw their regular skipper Sanju Samson leaving after a 11-year stint with the team for Chennai Super Kings and Ravindra Jadeja coming on board.

“With the trades that we’ve done, with some of the auction buys, we have managed to address the local spin department so that we can then start looking at different options in terms of overseas batters and bowlers and that gives us a little bit more flexibility,” Sangakkara said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Lockie Ferguson (PTI Photo/Shailendra Bhojak)

NEW DELHI: Lockie Ferguson will miss the early part of IPL 2026 as he chooses to spend time with his family after recently becoming a father. The fast bowler, who plays for Punjab Kings, is expected to join the squad later in the tournament after taking a short break from cricket.Ferguson explained his decision. “Just had a wee son, trying to spend as much time as I can at home and help my wife out,” he said ahead of the 3rd T20I against New Zealand, as quoted by ESPNCricinfo. “I’ll have a few weeks off after this, before sort of heading to the later stages of the IPL and away for the winter.”

He had earlier taken only a brief break during the T20 World Cup 2026, spending just a few days with his family before returning to play. Now, he wants a longer rest to balance personal life and cricket. Ferguson said he still enjoys representing the New Zealand national cricket team, adding, “Always a pleasure playing for the Black Caps, really enjoyed my time in India with the group again.” In his absence, Punjab Kings may turn to players like Ben Dwarshuis, along with other pace options in their squad.

Commitment to New Zealand and future goals

Ferguson made it clear he is not stepping away from international cricket. He said, “They thought this was my last game (laughs). No, I’m still very committed to play for New Zealand.”Looking ahead, he is focused on upcoming global tournaments and added, “Looking forward to the next two World Cups, there’s a great opportunity for our squad.” He also mentioned working hard to stay fit and contribute to the team.On the growth of cricket, Ferguson supported the idea of a franchise T20 league in New Zealand, saying, “I think it’s exciting that there’s a prospect at a franchise tournament,” and highlighted the country’s talent and potential to showcase its cricket on a bigger stage.

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