Ahmedabad, April 4 On the eve of Rajasthan Royals’ clash against Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, West Indies batter Shimron Hetmyer struck a positive and reflective tone, expressing confidence, excitement, and a clear sense of purpose heading into the new season.
“Winning the first game always helps, and everyone is in good spirits,” Hetmyer said, highlighting the importance of early momentum in a long tournament.
Looking ahead to another campaign with the Rajasthan Royals, the left-hander did not attempt to hide his enthusiasm. “I am excited. Coming into the tournament, I’ve been hitting a few balls as well for the last couple of months, so I'm really excited to get started,” he remarked, indicating he feels well-prepared after time spent working on his game.
A notable talking point this season is Hetmyer’s potential shift up the batting order. Reflecting on the adjustment to batting at No. 3, he acknowledged the tactical and mental changes required. “Just a change of mindset. Batting at 3 makes a different challenge than batting at 5 or 6. Betting at 3 to ball just moves above a little bit, a lot more than it does at 5 or 6, just about doing the basics, keeping in your shape and staying in your shape for as long as possible as well,” he explained.
Hetmyer also addressed lessons from last season, particularly in tight chases where the Royals fell just short. His takeaway was simple yet emphatic. “One, get across the line! That's the first one,” he said, before elaborating on his personal approach.
“Number 2 is...Really to...For me personally I like to finish a game earlier than later, a little bit sooner rather than later so I just try as much as possible, once I get into that situation, I try to finish it as early as I possibly can and if not, if it's still gets down the last over, try to get as small amount as possible in the last one.”
The conversation also turned to the team’s young talent, including rising prospect Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Hetmyer emphasised a hands-off, supportive approach to mentoring emerging players.
“There's not much to save someone like that, to be fair. It's always good to have youth on your side, so it's just for him to do the same things that he has been doing,” he said.
He added that the youngster has already been receiving plenty of guidance from within the group. “I really haven't been able to say much to him because everyone has been chirping from last year to now. I'm just going to try my best to let him do his thing, and whenever even a little bit of knowledge is needed, I will just try my best to put it over to him,” he said.
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