Rajasthan Royals assistant coach Dishant Yagnik has reaffirmed the franchise’s long-standing philosophy of nurturing young talent, even as their 2025 IPL campaign has veered off track. Despite being officially out of playoff contention, Yagnik emphasised that the Royals remain committed to creating stars rather than chasing them in the auction.
The 2008 champions have endured a difficult season, currently languishing in eighth place on the points table with just six points from 11 matches. Their latest blow came in the form of a crushing 100-run defeat to the Mumbai Indians, a loss that all but sealed their fate in IPL 2025.
Speaking after the match, Dishant Yagnik acknowledged the team’s inexperience has at times been costly, but stood by the franchise’s strategy. “The question about stars is a fair one. When players come in, they’re not stars. We groom them into becoming one. That’s what we’ve done in the past, and we’ll continue to do it,” he said.
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“Our tagline is simple—we don’t buy superstars, we make superstars,” Yagnik added with conviction.
फिर उठेंगे, फिर लड़ेंगे 💗 pic.twitter.com/diixnJfW6q
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) May 2, 2025
The Royals boast exciting young talents like 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who made headlines with a stunning century earlier in the season, becoming the youngest player in IPL history to do so. However, the absence of seasoned campaigners like Jos Buttler and Trent Boult has been felt. On Thursday, both Suryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal failed to fire, with the Royals collapsing for just 117 runs at home.
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Yagnik, however, remains optimistic. “Look at Suryavanshi. The way he played that 101 against Gujarat—he made the entire stadium cheer. These players will grow and eventually become the stars we believe in.”
As Rajasthan prepare to take on the Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday, May 4, Yagnik believes it’s time to focus on developing existing talent rather than looking back at lost stars.
