IPL 2026: ‘The Sanju Samson trade has allowed them to move him up’ – Simon Doull’s huge claim on India’s Test star after RR vs RCB

The Rajasthan Royals (RR) have been on a roll in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. On Friday, April 11, they made it four wins in four matches after defeating the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by six wickets at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Dhruv Jurel smashed 78 (26) and 81* (43) to help the Royals chase down a 202-run target in just 18 overs.

Simon Doull was particularly impressed by Jurel’s knock, as the former Kiwi pacer opined that the wicketkeeper-batter showed great composure when the Royals lost three wickets in quick succession. So far in IPL 2026, Jurel has slammed 176 runs in four matches at an average of 58.67 and a strike rate of 181.45.

Doull stated that trading Sanju Samson to the Chennai Super Kings has helped the Royals promote Jurel to No. 3 in the batting order.

“The chase was controlled by Dhruv Jurel. Vaibhav set the tone and broke the chase. But when they lost wickets, the composure Jurel showed was brilliant. That spot at No.3 seems to be suiting him down to the ground. The Sanju Samson trade has allowed them to have the opening combination settled and move Dhruv Jurel up,” Doull said on Cricbuzz.

“This is what you want from your No.3. Get the job finished and not get out when there are still a few required. It was beautifully controlled. His knock was not as breathtaking as Suryavanshi’s but as controlled and as important. The ability to find the gaps for twos is one of his great strengths. Not many keepers play spin poorly. And that’s one of Jurel’s strengths. The No.3 spot suits him really well,” he added.

It is video game cricket: Doull on Vaibhav Suryavanshi

Doull said that Suryavanshi doesn’t slog but backs his strengths to hit the balls that are in his arc. The cricketer-turned-commentator highlighted the bat swing and flick of the wrists that the 15-year-old possesses.

“It is video game cricket. But when he gets a good ball, he’s actually prepared to respect it. It’s not just blatant slogging. They are cultured cricket shots. He didn’t play any false shots. He has got control, and it’s not just going out there and trying to whack everything out of the park. There is an element of batsmanship around it,” said Doull (via the aforementioned source).

“It’s the bat swing with the flick of the wrists. It’s almost Lara-esque. If you are going to go wide, you’ve got to have two on the offside. The way to control him would be to have a widish third and have a deep cover and bowl a foot outside the off-stump and just take away the leg side. But you can’t have one either side and hope for the best by bowling straight,” he added.

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