Clarke reveals strategy to dismiss Sooryavanshi after Jamieson removes RR opener: 'Only way to slow him down...'

The key player battle heading into Friday's Indian Premier League showdown between Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals was the one between Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Mitchell Starc. Sooryavanshi, after all, has been one of the most destructive batters this season and attacking the best of bowlers, including Jasprit Bumrah, while Starc made his first appearance for the Capitals in IPL 2026 in Friday's clash at Jaipur's Sawai Mansingh Stadium.

Also Read | Mitchell Starc makes first appearance of IPL 2026 as Axar Patel urges struggling DC to 'focus on positives'

That battle, however, ultimately did not take place on Friday, with Sooryavanshi (4 off 2 balls) getting on strike for the first time in the second over, bowled by Kyle Jamieson, and getting castled by the New Zealand seamer right after opening his account with a boundary first ball.

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The 15-year-old drilled the ball straight down the ground after Jamieson bowled it in the slot, but chopped the ball onto the stumps while attempting to steer a yorker through the cover region in the very next delivery.

Clarke praises Jamieson, DC support staff for planning Sooryavanshi's dismissal

Former Australia captain Michael Clarke praised Jamieson and the DC support staff for doing their research on the young opener, who has been toying with the best of bowlers this IPL season, and revealed the strategy to silence Sooryavanshi early in the innings.

"So Delhi, whether it’s the analysts, the coaches, or Kyle Jamieson who executed it, they deserve a lot of credit for going away, looking at what Punjab did well to Sooryavanshi the other night to get him out," Clarke said while commentating on the game on JioHotstar.

"Because ultimately, the only way to slow him down at the moment is to get him out. And at the moment, that fuller length delivery that lands on the crease line, as we saw from Kyle Jamieson, is getting the job done," he added.

Both Starc and Jamieson struck in their first overs of the evening, with the former getting rid of Sooryavanshi's opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal just two balls after getting hit for a six. Jaiswal pulled a short-of-length ball from Starc behind square leg first ball, before offering easy catch to the left-arm quick off a full toss.