The most anticipated individual duel of IPL 2026 ended before it began. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the 15-year-old who has terrorised every bowling attack this season, was bowled by Kyle Jamieson for just 4 off 2 balls in the 2nd over — dismissed before Mitchell Starc even got a chance to bowl at him.
Rajasthan Royals are in early trouble at 12 for 2 after 1.5 overs, having lost both openers in the powerplay. Jaiswal went in Starc’s first over — caught and bowled for 6 — and now Sooryavanshi is back in the pavilion, bowled by Jamieson through what looked like a good length delivery that caught him early.
Sooryavanshi’s dismissal is the crueller of the two. He faced just 2 balls. He hit a four off the first — because of course he did — and was then clean bowled by the second. 4 off 2 balls. An entire season of hype around Starc vs Vaibhav, and the contest simply never materialised.
Jamieson, the tall New Zealander, deserves credit for his delivery — at 6’8″, he extracts awkward bounce that is difficult to read early in the innings, and Sooryavanshi, for all his brilliance, is still a 15-year-old who can be beaten.
For Delhi Capitals, who came into this match on the back of a disastrous run — bowled out for 75 in their last game — this is the perfect start. Two wickets inside 2 overs, RR’s explosive opening partnership dismantled before it could do any damage.
For the millions of fans who tuned in specifically to watch Sooryavanshi face Starc — that matchup goes unfulfilled tonight. Riyan Parag is now at the crease with Dhruv Jurel. RR need a rebuild. The match has taken a completely different shape from the one everyone expected.
Win probability currently shows DC at 64% — and with both RR openers back in the hut, that number only looks likely to move further in Delhi’s favour if wickets keep falling.