'Even if he was 25, we'd be talking about him' – Trevor Penney on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

A day before a crucial league game that could send Rajasthan Royals to the playoffs, all eyes were on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in Mumbai. The 15-year-old left-hander sits fourth on the run charts this season and has been instrumental throughout, even wearing the orange cap at various stages.

The last time he faced Mumbai Indians, he smashed 39 off 14 balls, including two authoritative sixes off Jasprit Bumrah in a rain-shortened match. Calls for Sooryavanshi's promotion to the national team have grown. He has already secured a spot in the India A side for the tri-series in Sri Lanka in June.

Assistant coach Trevor Penney is cautious about how quickly that step should come.

"I've never seen a 15-year-old bat like that. Even if he was 25, we'd be talking about him. Age hasn't come into it. He goes from ball one and has all the shots. This year compared to last, he might have matured on which shots to play. He's adapting to how bowlers think they can bowl to him. Once he works that out, they have to come back to his strength and he dominates again.

"With international stuff, that's the trick question. Look at the under-19 50-over World Cup, he got 175. He plays all formats. There have been attacking batsmen in Test cricket before — Sehwag took it down from ball one too. If you want him in as a 15-year-old or give him a few more seasons to mature off the field before throwing him in, that's the decision."

For now, Sooryavanshi is critical to Royals' fate against Mumbai Indians on Sunday. A win seals a playoff spot in a tightly-contested season with four teams vying for one spot on the final league day.

Penney is mindful of the stakes but also that Mumbai have little to lose. Chennai Super Kings and Punjab Kings have already felt the sting of facing eliminated teams.

"Mumbai are a World XI. You can never count them out. They've got nothing to lose, so they could play like millionaires — most of them already are. It's exciting to be one point clear. If we win, it's in our hands. We can go to the qualifiers in Chandigarh."

Royals' campaign started with four straight wins under Riyan Parag. Since then, they haven't strung two victories together, but Penney denies any systemic issues, citing minor fielding errors.

"We started like a train. Then we had a middle period where we lost close games, dropped catches that cost us. But we still played good cricket. That last win gave us confidence. Our top three, top four got runs. Everyone's winning with their top order now. If you win the powerplay, you can go on. We've got that. We're confident about going all the way, especially if we get a few niggles back and reach full strength. The playoffs are a different beast. It's just this one game tomorrow."

Royals' injury list remains long. Ravindra Jadeja and Riyan Parag are nursing niggles, their availability uncertain. Ravi Singh has been ruled out with a hamstring injury.

Much rests on the top three. While Sooryavanshi has grabbed headlines, Yashasvi Jaiswal has been inconsistent this season — 370 runs at 159.48 after 1619 runs across the last three seasons at 160.13. Penney is confident Jaiswal will come good.

"He'd usually have 600 runs by now. It's not far. If we win and go to the finals, he'll still get 600-700 runs. In the last game, he played one of his best innings — pure cricket shots. Once he plays like that, we'll see the real Jaiswal. He loves playing in Mumbai. We're not fussed because we've got a playoff chance. Now's the time to play well.

"Two wins going into the playoffs with all batsmen firing — that's where we'll be. T20 cricket can be tough. You can play well and have a bad run. But you can come back, especially with 3-4 games left."

Penney also defended Jofra Archer's decision to miss England's first Test against New Zealand. Archer, a centrally contracted England player, has faced criticism for choosing IPL over national duty.

"I've read those articles. It's weird because IPL is the big tournament. If he misses one England game, so be it for him. That's how he's thinking. It doesn't bother him. He's just getting on as normal — he's hardly mentioned it. It is what it is. You either choose here and annoy people there, or leave early and risk never coming back to the IPL."