Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif has put his weight behind Yashasvi Jaiswal to turn his form amid the ongoing IPL 2026. Jaiswal trudged to run a ball 29 against SRH as he could not change his gears in the eliminator contest on Wednesday.

The left-hander has scored 426 runs in 15 matches of the ongoing IPL 2026 at an average of 32.77 and a strike rate of 153.23. 

Kaif said Jaiswal has played a second fiddle to Vaibhav Suryavanshi and there is no doubt that he is a quality player.

Kaif said on his YouTube Channel, “Jaiswal was one such player who used to dominate. What Vaibhav is doing, Jaiswal used to do. Yes, he didn’t use to hit so many sixes but had a higher striker rate and used to hit boundaries. He has gotten behind that phase. He’s a strong player and would make a comeback.

“Someone is doing his work, and that too 50 times better, so that’s the difference. He’s figuring out how to go ahead with him. He’s playing a second fiddle. I think he’s an excellent player.”

On the other hand, the former UP batter praised Suryavanshi for breaking Chris Gayle’s record of most sixes in an IPL season. Gayle smashed 59 maximums in the 2012 edition whereas Suryavanshi has now hit 65 maximums in the ongoing season. Kaif noted that Suryavanshi has taken 193 balls fewer than Gayle to break this record.

He said, “Chris Gayle never used to hit the first ball for six. Since the ball moves around in Bengaluru for the first few overs, he has left several deliveries. This player, he hits sixes first ball. Gayle took 450 balls; this guy took 193 deliveries fewer to break the record.”

Kaif gave credit to former RR head coach Rahul Dravid for giving a chance to Suryavanshi in the playing XI when Sanju Samson was injured.

He concluded, “The credit should go to Rahul Dravid. When Sanju Samson got injured, he played him last year. Not all players get an opportunity. Vaibhav Suryavanshi never looked back since. I think he’s the only player to play in a unique fashion.”

RR will face GT in the second qualifier on Friday.