IPL 2026: ‘I carried a lot of drinks in my first three seasons’ - Donovan Ferreira opens up on motivation behind breakthrough year

Published - 09 May 2026, 21:50 IST | Updated - 09 May 2026, 21:57 IST

Donovan Ferreira admitted that the years spent waiting on the sidelines in the Indian Premier League (IPL) have become a major source of motivation behind his performances for Rajasthan Royals (RR) this season. RR are currently taking on Gujarat Titans at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.

Ferreira spoke about finally getting consistent opportunities after limited game time during his first three seasons in the IPL. The South African cricketer has developed into one of RR’s most dangerous finishers in IPL 2026. In 10 matches this season, Ferreira has scored 229 runs at an impressive average of 45.80 and a strike rate of 177.52. His impact has been especially crucial in the death overs, where he has repeatedly accelerated the innings with fearless and aggressive strokeplay.

“I don’t really know. It must just be the middle of my bat. Or they’re just sending me better bats. No, I think it’s just worked out that way, swinging nice and hard. And it leaves me nice and refreshed now, like a CAR battery like a fully charged CAR battery after a full break. So yeah, ready to play today and hopefully we can get a bit more success today,” Ferreira said as quoted by Times of India.

Ferreira explained that finishing games is a role he has performed throughout his career and one he genuinely enjoys despite the pressure that comes with it. He also admitted that the lack of opportunities during his earlier IPL seasons continues to fuel his motivation this year. He said the frustration of spending years on the sidelines has pushed him to make the most of every chance he gets with RR in IPL 2026.

“I mean, that is kind of my role in the team and that’s what I’ve got time. So, I think it is exciting for me to be in that role. I’ve always been in that role my whole career. So it’s just nice when it comes off because when it doesn’t come off, you look kind of, how can I say, it doesn’t look great. But yeah, for me, it’s been coming off, so hopefully it can continue going forward,” said Ferreira.

“I think for me, especially in the IPL, a big motivator has been, this has been my fourth season now and I haven’t really gotten a lot of opportunity. I carried a lot of drinks in the first three seasons. So, for me, that was quite a big motivation, especially in this tournament. And then going into other tournaments, I just try and find motivation for that specific tournament because for me, it’s quite important to keep it focused, nice and focused per tournament. And when you go to the next one, you actually switch your focus to that tournament and get some new motivation again,” he concluded.