“I do think about defense but today our plan was to execute in powerplay. Because in small targets, the game is decided in the powerplay. If the bowling team had bowled well in the powerplay, the game could have gone to their side. But we all went all-out and our powerplay went well. So that was the plan.”

Sooryavanshi had been dropped off his first ball by CSK debutant Kartik Sharma, a tough chance running back to deep midwicket off a pull shot. He finished the powerplay on 52 off 16 with five sixes and four fours, with RR cruising at 70 in six overs. Sooryavanshi said the RR management had backed him to play his natural game, and that he had good preparation before the start of the season.

“They just told me that we are backing you and you just stick to your natural game. And they treated me really well,” he said. “And the practice went well. I was dependent on preparation. That went well. We came here a little early. So the practice went well. And they told me to just play my game. Read the situation and play. Rest, just back your game.”

RR captain Riyan Parag said he had assured Sooryavanshi that he would play every game in the 2026 season regardless of results. He also asked him to block out the outside noise. “What I tell him is that you’re going to play 14 games regardless of what goes on in the game. It shouldn’t bother you. What goes around in the media shouldn’t bother you,” Parag said.

Parag spoke about keeping Sooryavanshi happy by providing him plenty of time to bat in the nets, and on a lighter note, also making available the snacks he craves. “He loves to bat. So we make sure he gets enough time in the nets. If he likes something to eat, we make sure that’s available for him,” Parag said at the post-match press conference.

Parag also said that he and his team-mates watch Sooryavanshi’s batting like the fans at the ground or on TV.

“When Dhruv (Jurel) and I were sitting [in the dugout], and the first two-three overs were done, the way he was batting, we were looking at each other and thinking that the wicket was sticky and had some moisture, but he is still hitting like that. So I feel, like everyone in the stands, the way people are watching him, we are also the same. We are wowed by how he hits. He’s a talent and I am very glad he is in our team and not in any other team,” Parag said.