Murali Kartik hails Vaibhav Suryavanshi after PBKS vs RR IPL 2026 match

Former Indian spinner Murali Kartik showered praise on Vaibhav Suryavanshi after Rajasthan Royals registered a six-wicket win against Punjab Kings at New Chandigarh in the ongoing IPL 2026 on Tuesday. Chasing 223 runs for the win, Suryavanshi provided a brisk start to his team, scoring 43 runs off just 16 balls.

The left-hander smashed three fours and five sixes in his blistering innings as he scored his runs at a whirlwind strike rate of 268.75.

Suryavanshi has been in top form and had earlier scored 103 runs off just 37 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the last game. Kartik said Suryavanshi doesn’t care about the bowlers’ reputation and he wants to take on the attack against the best in the business.

“I don’t think he even watches the bowler. I don’t think so. Just like Viru, the bigger the bowler, the more he wanted to send the ball out into space. This kid is not telling us, he is telling us no, no no, but I think deep inside, he thinks that he will hit Bumrah, Hazlewood, Arshdeep Singh, Sunil Narine,” Murali Kartik said on Cricbuzz.

The former left-arm orthodox spinner said he wants the youngster to remain the way he is and stay on the right path.

“The most important thing is to be grounded, if his company is good, then everything will be fine for him. Even during the post-match presentation, I advised him that I want him to remain like this only, keep hanging out with good people, and keep playing like this. This is the most important thing, because you never know how you may fall after climbing up,” Murali Kartik said.

Suryavanshi is currently the Orange Cap holder with 400 runs in nine matches at an average of 44.44 and a splendid strike rate of 238.09 in the ongoing season. 

Rajasthan Royals will next take on the Delhi Capitals at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium, Jaipur, on Friday.