Cricket

Rajasthan Royals Storm Into Qualifier 2 as 15-Year-Old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Smashes Record 97 Off 29 Balls to Demolish SRH in IPL 2026 Eliminator

Rajasthan Royals crushed Sunrisers Hyderabad by 47 runs in the IPL 2026 Eliminator at Mullanpur as 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi smashed a record-breaking 97 off just 29 balls, hitting 11 sixes to break Chris Gayle's all-time IPL season record with 61 maximums.

Gaurav Thakur 50 minutes ago · 6 min read

Sooryavanshi’s Record-Smashing 97(29) Powers Rajasthan to Dominant Win Over Hyderabad

Fifteen-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi produced perhaps the greatest individual batting performance in Indian Premier League playoff history on Wednesday night, blasting 97 off just 29 balls as Rajasthan Royals demolished Sunrisers Hyderabad by 47 runs in the IPL 2026 Eliminator at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur. The teenager’s staggering knock included 11 sixes and five fours, propelling Rajasthan to a mammoth 243 for 8 before their bowlers, led by Jofra Archer’s devastating new-ball spell, restricted SRH to 196 all out in 19.2 overs.

The victory sends Rajasthan Royals into Qualifier 2, where they will face Gujarat Titans on Friday in Mullanpur for a place in the IPL 2026 final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who dismantled GT by 92 runs in Qualifier 1 two days earlier. For Sunrisers Hyderabad, the defeat marks the end of a promising campaign that ultimately fell short when it mattered most.

Sooryavanshi Rewrites the IPL Record Books

The night in Mullanpur belonged entirely to Sooryavanshi, whose 29-ball assault on the SRH bowling attack will be remembered as one of the defining innings in IPL history. Walking in as opener alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, the Mumbai teenager took just two balls to get off the mark before unleashing a breathtaking display of power hitting that left the Hyderabad bowlers shell-shocked and the 28,000-strong crowd in absolute rapture.

Sooryavanshi reached his fifty off just 16 deliveries, the fastest half-century in an IPL playoff match, surpassing KL Rahul’s 17-ball fifty against Delhi Capitals in 2020. He continued to accelerate, smashing Pat Cummins for three consecutive sixes in the seventh over and depositing Bhuvneshwar Kumar into the upper tier of the stadium in the ninth. His 11 sixes in the innings set a new record for the most maximums in a single IPL playoff knock, eclipsing Chris Gayle’s nine sixes in the 2012 Eliminator.

Most remarkably, Sooryavanshi’s tally of sixes for the season climbed to 61, breaking Gayle’s all-time IPL record of 59 sixes set in the 2012 season. The fact that a 15-year-old has now surpassed one of cricket’s greatest power hitters in this statistical category speaks volumes about both his prodigious talent and the evolving nature of T20 cricket.

His dismissal for 97, caught in the deep attempting to reach a century off his 30th delivery, drew a standing ovation from the crowd and even applause from the opposition dugout. Speaking after the match, Sooryavanshi revealed that his focus had been entirely on hitting sixes rather than personal milestones. “I wasn’t aware of any records. My focus was on hitting sixes and scoring maximum runs for the team. Centuries can come later,” the teenager said with a maturity beyond his years.

Rajasthan’s Innings: Built Around Sooryavanshi’s Blitz

Rajasthan’s total of 243 for 8 was their highest score of the season and the second-highest total in IPL playoff history. While Sooryavanshi was the undeniable centrepiece, contributions came from across the batting order. Captain Riyan Parag played a composed anchor role, scoring 34 off 28 balls and rotating the strike intelligently to keep Sooryavanshi on strike as much as possible during the powerplay.

Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 38 off 24 balls at the top of the order provided an electric opening partnership of 112 runs in just 8.3 overs, setting the platform for the carnage that followed. Shimron Hetmyer added a quickfire 31 off 17 balls in the middle overs, while Dhruv Jurel’s unbeaten 22 off 11 balls in the death overs pushed the total past 240.

For SRH, the bowling figures made for grim reading. Captain Pat Cummins conceded 48 runs from his four overs, his most expensive spell of the tournament. Bhuvneshwar Kumar went for 41 in three overs before being taken out of the attack, while T Natarajan’s yorkers, usually so effective in the death overs, were dispatched with disdain by Sooryavanshi who seemed to pick every variation early.

Archer’s Devastating Spell Seals the Deal

While Sooryavanshi’s batting heroics set up the victory, Jofra Archer’s devastating new-ball spell in the SRH chase ensured there was no way back for Pat Cummins’s side. The England quick, who has been one of the standout performers of IPL 2026, struck with his very first ball of the innings, trapping Travis Head LBW with a searing inswinger that kept low. He followed up by bowling Abhishek Sharma with a 148 kph delivery that clipped the top of off stump in his second over, and then removed the dangerous Ishan Kishan with a short ball that the wicketkeeper-batter could only glove to the keeper.

Archer’s figures of 3 for 22 from his four overs effectively killed the chase before it began. With three of their top four back in the pavilion inside the powerplay, SRH needed 210 runs from the remaining 14 overs, a near-impossible task even by the standards of modern T20 cricket. Heinrich Klaasen battled gamely for 44 off 32 balls, and Rahul Tripathi added a brisk 38, but the required run rate was always beyond reach.

Record-Breaking Match and Season Milestones

The Eliminator threw up several remarkable statistical milestones beyond Sooryavanshi’s individual records. The match saw a combined 26 sixes hit by both teams, setting a new record for the most sixes in an IPL playoff or knockout match, surpassing the previous record of 25 from the Mumbai Indians versus Gujarat Titans Eliminator in 2025.

Rajasthan Royals have now won all four matches played at the Mullanpur venue this season, establishing a formidable home-ground advantage in the playoffs. Their net run rate has climbed to the highest among the remaining four teams, giving them significant momentum heading into Qualifier 2.

The BCCI, meanwhile, has reportedly sent a warning about the fast-tracking of Sooryavanshi into high-pressure cricket, with concerns over the physical and mental toll of an extended IPL campaign on a 15-year-old. Former cricketers, including Sunil Gavaskar and Ricky Ponting, have urged caution while acknowledging the teenager’s extraordinary talent.

Road to the IPL 2026 Final

Rajasthan Royals will face Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2 on Friday, May 29, at Mullanpur, a venue where they have been unbeatable this season. The winner of that match will advance to the IPL 2026 final on May 31 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, where Royal Challengers Bengaluru await as defending champions.

Captain Riyan Parag struck a confident tone after the victory, praising his team’s all-round performance while highlighting areas for improvement. “We are peaking at the right time. The boys are hungry, and we know what’s at stake. But we can’t get complacent — GT will come hard at us on Friday, and we need to be ready,” Parag said.

For SRH, the journey ends with mixed emotions. While they showed glimpses of brilliance throughout the league stage, their inability to handle the pressure of a knockout match ultimately cost them. Captain Cummins acknowledged that his team was outplayed on the night but backed his squad to come back stronger next season.

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Gaurav Thakur

Gaurav Thakur is an Editor at Daily Tips leading business and finance coverage. With sharp analytical skills and deep market knowledge, he covers India's economy, real estate, personal finance, and the startup ecosystem. His background in financial journalism and data-driven reporting ensures business content is both insightful and accessible.