India, May 30 -- Rajasthan Royals came into the season on the back of a forgettable 2025: ninth place, a single win across nine games at one point, and Sanju Samson injured for the bulk of it. This year looked different from the start. They won their first four matches, qualified for the playoffs on the final matchday with a 30-run win over the Mumbai Indians, beat Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator, and then pushed the Gujarat Titans to a 214-run total in Qualifier 2 before Shubman Gill's 104 ended their campaign. RR finished third, their best result in years.

Through all of it, one player carried them further than their squad probably deserved. A 15-year-old from Bihar who scored 97 off 29 balls in the Eliminator and 96 off 47 in Qu...