Despite Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) elimination from the Indian Premier League 2025 (IPL 2025), fielding coach Dishant Yagnik exuded confidence in the team’s future, emphasizing their philosophy of nurturing talent and creating superstars.
Speaking at the post-match press conference following a disappointing 100-run loss to Mumbai Indians (MI), Yagnik highlighted RR’s commitment to developing young players into household names, a strategy that has defined the franchise’s approach since the inception of IPL.
While RR released star players like Jos Buttler and Yuzvendra Chahal prior to the auction, they signed 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who is seen as a great investment for the future after he smashed a 35-ball hundred against Gujarat Titans (GT), becoming the youngest T20 centurion.
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"There’s a great point in your question about star (players). Whenever a new player arrives, he is not a star, but he is made into one. Last year, the players we had were not stars when they entered the team, but they became stars, and now the players that we have in the team, we will make them stars," Yagnik said as quoted in the post-match presser.
RR’s ethos, as Yagnik proudly declared, is centered on creating rather than acquiring established names.
"We don’t buy superstars, we make superstars, and this is our tagline," he added.
Yagnik pointed to young talents like Suryavanshi, who captured attention with a scintillating century against the Titans, as evidence of RR’s potential.
"Look at Vaibhav Suryavanshi, everyone was happy for him when he was batting (against Gujarat Titans during his 38-ball 101). The entire crowd was happy and in time to come, these guys will become stars and we believe in that."
With key players like Yashasvi Jaiswal and captain Sanju Samson leading the squad, Yagnik urged the team to move forward and focus on their strengths rather than thinking about the players they do not have in this cycle.
"The time has come for you to think beyond. When you don't have (a player), you have to forget it and move on. We have Vaibhav, Yashasvi Jaiswal... Sanju Samson is our captain, we will go ahead with this team and show it by winning with them," Yagnik stated.
When asked about RR’s strategy for the upcoming IPL auction, Yagnik remained pragmatic, noting that there is ample time to plan.
"There is a lot of time for that, we will analyse and see," he opined.
Rajasthan Royals’ Bow Out From IPL 2025 Playoff Race
Rajasthan Royals encountered a turbulent IPL 2025, missing out on the playoffs despite flashes of brilliance from their youthful lineup.
After their recent loss to Mumbai Indians, the Royals continue to be in the bottom half of the IPL 2025 points table, languishing at the eighth spot. They have only won three of their 11 matches so far.
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Rajasthan became the second team to be knocked out of the playoff race after Chennai Super Kings (CSK). With their three games still remaining, RR will now play for the pride.
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