IPL 2025: What Vaibhav Suryavanshi did after defeating MS Dhoni wins hearts

Dubai: The Indian Premier League 2025 clash between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals wasn’t just another league-stage contest — it was a generational face-off. At one end stood 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the tournament’s youngest player. At the other, 43-year-old Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the league’s oldest and most revered name.

And the teenager more than held his own.

Displaying a dazzling array of strokes and, more importantly, remarkable temperament, Suryavanshi struck a composed half-century to guide Rajasthan Royals to a comfortable six-wicket win alongside captain Sanju Samson. Their 98-run partnership for the second wicket broke the back of Chennai Super Kings’s modest defence on a perfect batting surface.

At the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday, pacers Akash Madhwal and Yudhvir Singh Charak claimed three wickets each to restrict Chennai Super Kings to 187 for eight. Rajasthan’s decision to chase — despite losing eight of their last nine while doing so — raised eyebrows.

But it paid off, with young bowlers stepping up and Suryavanshi top-scoring with 57, pummelling veteran bowlers Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin. The knock took his tally for the 252 runs in seven innings, including a record-breaking century.

“It feels good,” Samson said after the match. “To be honest, we were thinking, should we bat first and set a score? But I decided — no hiding in this game. We went after the chase.”

He praised the youthful bowling unit in the absence of experienced names like Jofra Archer and Sandeep Sharma. “The kind of planning and temperament they showed was heartening. Akash has played only four games. Shane Bond’s been working closely with him, and we’re all happy with how far he’s come.”

Samson, who returned to action after a side strain he sustained — coincidentally in New Delhi on April 16 — admitted the season had fallen short of expectations. “It’s not about luck,” he said. “We’ve made mistakes. We’ll sit back, do a proper review, and come back stronger next season.”

Among the few bright spots for Rajasthan this season, Suryavanshi was the standout. “I don’t have words,” Samson said. “The hundred he got earlier in the season was sheer class. He has incredible game awareness at such a young age — hitting a slower ball over cover, managing the middle overs smartly. He’s special.”

Yashasvi Jaiswal, who chipped in with a quick 36, echoed the sentiment: “He’s played amazingly today. And throughout the tournament, really. The bowlers too — they stuck to their plans and it worked.”

But amid the praise, it was a small gesture after the match that truly captured the moment.

During the customary handshake line, Suryavanshi paused in front of Dhoni — and bent to touch the two-time World Cup winner’s feet.

In Indian tradition, touching an elder’s feet is a mark of deep respect. And despite the match’s intensity, the cameras, and the adrenalin of his own innings, the teenager didn’t forget his roots. That quiet moment with Dhoni — grace meeting greatness — told the world that this rising star also carries humility in his kitbag.