"Don't buy superstars"- RR's Dishant Yagnik rips apart Mumbai Indians

Rajasthan Royals (RR) fielding coach Dishant Yagnik took an indirect dig at Mumbai Indians (MI) after being eliminated from the ongoing IPL 2025 season. The RR coach stated that they don't buy superstars but make superstars, adding that the current squad under head coach Rahul Dravid has similar potential.

Mumbai recorded a 100-run victory in Match 50 of IPL 2025 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Thursday, May 1. It was MI's sixth consecutive triumph and pushed them to the top of the points table. Meanwhile, the loss ended Rajasthan’s playoff hopes for the season, confirming their elimination.

We Don't Buy Superstars, We Make Superstars - Dishant Yagnik

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Dishant Yagnik said that the franchise has a history of nurturing young talent rather than relying on established names. Yagnik added that many players who joined RR were relatively unknown but became superstars during their time with the team.

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"Whenever a new player has entered our side over the years, they weren't stars already," Yagnik explained during the post-match press conference.

"They became stars at our franchise. The current bunch, we're confident that they will become stars, we'll make them stars. We don't buy superstars, we make superstars, that's our tagline," he added.

After winning the first-ever IPL title in 2008, Rajasthan have struggled to replicate that success. The franchise has continued to focus on nurturing young talent, with 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi their newest recruit. However, RR faced criticism for releasing star players like Jos Buttler and Trent Boult.

Everyone Was Happy and Emotional for Vaibhav Suryavanshi - Dishant Yagnik

Dishant Yagnik said that Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s performance was an emotional moment for the team. The former cricketer said that they move forward rather than dwell on past player exits like Jos Buttler.

"For example, take Vaibhav Suryavanshi, everyone was happy and emotional for him the way he batted. So, in the coming years, guys like him will become stars," Yagnik said.

"Time has come for us to look beyond such things (regretting not retaining players like Buttler). When we don't have them, we have to forget and move on. Now we have Vaibhav, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Sanju Samson is our captain. We'll go ahead with this side, and we'll prove our winning ability with this side."

We Probably Fell Short in Close Games - Dishant Yagnik

Dishant Yagnik expressed disappointment over the team's failure to execute plans in critical moments. The Royals lost valuable points in three consecutive chases. RR failed to chase down single-digit targets in the games against Delhi Capitals (DC) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).

The match against DC went to a Super Over, where RR faltered again, and they failed to finish strong against LSG. RR needed 17 off 12 balls in their clash with RCB but lost by 11 runs.

"If you look at most of the games, we were often close to winning those matches. In those crunch moments where execution is crucial, we probably fell short in close games, and that's how two points went away from us. As you know, we were dominating in those three games (against DC, LSG, and RCB), but there was a shortage in execution during crunch moments. It happens in cricket."

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