\u201cI\u2019ve been so fortunate over the years of coming to the IPL and being able to see some ridiculously talented young cricketers,\u201d the Australian said. \u201cI remember seeing Sanju Samson for the first time, and I\u2019d never seen a 17-year-old with that skill development. I continue to see that with Vaibhav Soorayavanshi. Angkrish is another one of those,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is quite astonishing, to be honest. I know we haven\u2019t seen a consistent explosion of skill, but we will,\u201d the former all-rounder declared. \u201cIt\u2019s mind-blowing for me to be able to see his ability to adapt to different conditions, different bowlers and have all the skill options and shot options to be able to navigate that as well as he possibly can,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, against RCB, the 21-year-old gave a clear account of what his coach had explained the day before. Coming in to bat after the fall of an early wicket and seeing his skipper depart soon after, the young Mumbai batter had his back against the wall.<\/p>\n
Watch the full press conference here:<\/i><\/p>\n
But in a knock that displayed immense maturity and exceptional reading of the conditions on offer, the lanky batter tallied his highest score in the IPL to lead the way with the bat for his side.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was very impressed with the way he batted because the ball was really nipping around initially. [Josh] Hazlewood and Bhuvi [Bhuvneshwar Kumar] were hitting the length. I felt he was tactically very astute,\u201d KKR head coach Abhishek Nayar said after the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought he paced his innings well. Played square of the wicket, used the angles really well, picked his bowlers. I didn\u2019t really feel that he was uncomfortable at any point. He belonged there, and that really stood out to me,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
When he made his IPL debut with the franchise in 2024, Raghuvanshi played the role of an accelerator, striking at an impressive 155.23 through the season despite scoring just 163 runs at an average of 23.28.<\/p>\n
The following year, after being bought back in the auction for Rs. 3 crore, he was shifted down the order and never really got going. Whilst there was a marginal improvement in his average from the previous year, the strike rate fell to 139.53, below average for a player batting in the middle order.<\/p>\n
Despite this inconsistency with the bat, the Knight Riders kept their faith in him, retaining him for another year in the midst of a mass clear-out. Raghuvanshi has repaid the franchise\u2019s faith this year, leading the run-scoring charts for the side with 340 runs in 11 innings at an average of 42.50.<\/p>\n
This year, he has also been given the added responsibility of being the team\u2019s first-choice wicketkeeper.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s done a brilliant job keeping. You have to think that he\u2019s not a full-time wicketkeeper. He\u2019s worked ridiculously hard. For keepers, you know that they have done a really good job when you don\u2019t realise they are there,\u201d Watson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a highly skilled young man who just can\u2019t get enough of learning and getting better. There are dream students you want to work with as a coach, and he\u2019s definitely one of them,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Published on May 14, 2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n