Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's Explosive 97 Leads Rajasthan Royals to IPL Victory

Sooryavanshi's Record-Breaking Performance

Mullanpur (Punjab) [India] - In a thrilling IPL 2026 Eliminator match on Wednesday, Rajasthan Royals (RR) opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi showcased an extraordinary performance, scoring an impressive 97 runs off just 29 balls, propelling RR to a formidable total of 243/8 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

The 15-year-old prodigy set the stage ablaze with his fearless batting, reaching a rapid half-century and maintaining an aggressive tempo throughout his innings.

Opting to bat first, Rajasthan Royals started strong. In the third over, Sooryavanshi unleashed a barrage of 23 runs off SRH captain Pat Cummins, pushing RR to 45 without loss.

He continued his onslaught, achieving a blistering half-century in just 16 balls as Rajasthan raced to 63/0. The Royals finished the powerplay with a commanding score of 80/0 after six overs.

During his explosive innings, Sooryavanshi set a new record for the most sixes in a single IPL season, surpassing Chris Gayle's previous record of 59.

However, his remarkable innings came to an end during the eighth over when pacer Praful Hinge claimed his wicket, leaving him just three runs shy of the fastest century in IPL history.

Sooryavanshi's innings included five fours and an astonishing 12 sixes, placing the Royals in a dominant position at 136/1 by the halfway mark.

In the 11th over, spinner Shivang Kumar dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal, who scored 29 runs off 29 balls. Despite this wicket, the Royals crossed the 150-run mark by the end of the over.

In the following over, wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel took charge, scoring 17 runs off Cummins as RR surged to 168/2. Jurel quickly reached his half-century in just 20 balls but was dismissed immediately after, contributing 50 runs off 21 balls.

Rajasthan continued their aggressive approach, surpassing the 200-run mark and reaching 207/3 after 15 overs.

In the 16th over, Hinge struck again, removing skipper Riyan Parag, who scored 26 runs off 12 balls, as RR moved to 214/4.

As the innings progressed, Rajasthan lost wickets in quick succession, with Donovan Ferreira (12), Dasun Shanaka (5), Jofra Archer (4), Nandre Burger (1), and Ravindra Jadeja (12*) contributing to a final score of 243/8 in 20 overs.

For Hyderabad, Praful Hinge was the standout bowler with figures of 3/54, while Eshan Malinga (1/40), Shivang Kumar (1/19), and Nitish Reddy (1/12) also took wickets.