Mullanpur: The 15-year-old teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi produced an exceptionally remarkable innings as Rajasthan Royals (RR) stormed into Qualifier 2 with a commanding 47-run victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Eliminator of IPL 2026 at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium, New Chandigarh, on Wednesday. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s astonishing knock of 97 off just 29 balls helped RR take complete control of the innings as they posted a massive total of 243, while Jofra Archer’s fiery spell dismantled the SRH top order, and SRH were eventually bowled out for just 196.
The match began with SRH winning the toss and electing to bowl first. Batting first, Sooryavanshi produced one of the most destructive knocks of the season, assaulting aggressively and completely dismantling the SRH bowling attack. His brilliant half-century came in just 16 balls, equalling Suresh Raina’s record for the fastest fifty in IPL playoffs. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi hammered a magnificent 97 off just 29 balls with an explosive strike rate of 334.48, smashing 5 boundaries and 12 sixes. With this magnificent innings, he reached multiple milestones as he became the batter with the most sixes ever recorded in a single IPL season. The record had stood untouched since Chris Gayle’s iconic 2012 campaign. Gayle had hit 59 sixes in IPL 2012 across 456 balls, while Sooryavanshi crossed the mark in just 266 deliveries. The young sensation has now surpassed the legendary power-hitter at just 15 years of age.
Sooryavanshi also became the youngest player ever to complete 600 runs in a single IPL season, breaking the previous record held by Rishabh Pant, who achieved the feat for Delhi Daredevils in 2018. Even more remarkably, before IPL 2026, no batter in tournament history had scored 550 or more runs in a season at a strike rate above 200. He now has five 50-plus scores inside the powerplay in IPL history, second only to David Warner.
The youngster also joined elite company for the most fifties scored in under 20 balls in IPL history. He recorded the second-highest strike rate ever for an IPL innings of 70 runs or more, placing his unforgettable knock alongside some of the most iconic innings in league history. Sooryavanshi also became the first batter in IPL history to hit 10 or more sixes three times in a single season.
However, he eventually fell agonisingly short of a century, dismissed by Praful Hinge. By the time Sooryavanshi was dismissed in the eighth over, RR had already raced to 125 runs. Dhruv Jurel carried forward the momentum brilliantly by blasting a rapid half-century in just 21 balls. RR looked set for a gigantic total as they reached 180 for 2 in 13 overs, With Jurel’s wicket, SRH fought back strongly in the death overs, conceding only 36 runs in the final five overs while picking up five crucial wickets, restricting RR from crossing the 260-plus mark. Despite the late comeback from SRH, RR still finished with a massive total of 243 for 8 after 20 overs. The SRH bowlers truly struggled and proved expensive. Captain Pat Cummins finished his disappointing spell with 0 wickets for 64 runs in four overs. Sakib Hussain conceded 49 runs, while Praful Hinge picked up 3 wickets but still gave away 54 runs.
Chasing the massive total, SRH needed a strong start, but their top order collapsed badly inside the powerplay. Jofra Archer struck with his very first ball, dismissing Abhishek Sharma for a duck. Ishan Kishan started aggressively, but Archer once again delivered a crucial breakthrough, dismissing him for 33 off just 11 balls. He then removed Travis Head for 17 off 8 balls. Losing four wickets inside the powerplay dealt a massive blow to SRH’s chase and put them under tremendous pressure early in the innings. Heinrich Klaasen briefly lifted the innings with 33 runs before being trapped LBW by Yash Punja. Nitish Kumar Reddy and Salil Arora briefly raised hopes with a rapid 50-run partnership off just 19 balls, but the required run rate continued to climb rapidly. Despite a spirited lower middle-order fightback, SRH were eventually bowled out for 196 in 19.2 overs.
In bowling, Jofra Archer played a vital role by picking up crucial early wickets and finished with figures of 3 wickets for 58 runs in his four overs. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, with his remarkable knock, deservedly won the Player of the Match award. With this emphatic victory, RR qualified for Qualifier 2, while SRH, with this defeat, were eliminated from the playoffs.
