Sunrisers Hyderabad sealed a high-scoring victory over Rajasthan Royals, successfully chasing 229 with five wickets in hand, despite a breathtaking century from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Half-centuries from Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma ensured a winning return for captain Pat Cummins.
Sunrisers Hyderabad 229 for 5 (Kishan 74, Abhishek 57, Reddy 36, Archer 2-34, Brijesh 2-44)
beat Rajasthan Royals 228 for 6 (Sooryavanshi 103, Jurel 51, Ferreira 33, Malinga 2-38) by five wickets
Twelve days after overcoming Rajasthan Royals by neutralising Sooryavanshi, Sunrisers Hyderabad once again got the better of them — this time even with the teenager producing a sensational innings.
Sooryavanshi smashed his second IPL hundred, reaching the landmark in just 36 deliveries and maintaining a six-hitting frequency of one every three balls before falling. He finished with 103 off 37 balls, while the rest of the Royals lineup, along with extras, contributed 125 runs from 83 balls.
At the innings break, it remained uncertain whether 228 for 6 would be sufficient, especially after Punjab Kings had recently chased 265. It ultimately wasn’t enough, as SRH maintained attacking momentum at both ends, unlike RR, who relied heavily on one batter.
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Jofra Archer struck early by removing Travis Head in the opening over, but Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan quickly counterattacked. Benefiting from dropped chances in a match featuring multiple fielding errors, the duo shifted the momentum decisively.
While neither batter individually matched Sooryavanshi’s scoring tempo, their partnership proved far more effective. Abhishek and Kishan added 132 runs in just 55 balls, overshadowing RR’s best stand of 112 between Sooryavanshi and Dhruv Jurel. After Donovan Ferreira broke the partnership, SRH required only nine runs per over in the final ten overs and completed the chase with nine balls remaining.
Sooryavanshi’s Explosive Display
Praful Hinge, who had impressed in the reverse fixture with a four-wicket haul that included Sooryavanshi, faced a very different challenge this time. After starting with a dot ball, Sooryavanshi responded with four consecutive sixes in the opening over, punishing varying lengths with authority.
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His next major test came against Pat Cummins, who was playing his first match since the Adelaide Ashes Test in December. Cummins delivered a well-directed short ball, but Sooryavanshi quickly adjusted and dispatched it for another six. By then, he had struck five sixes in his first six balls.
Though such a pace was unsustainable, he barely slowed down. He reached 51 off just 16 balls in the powerplay, marking his third 15-ball half-century of the season and becoming the fastest to 1000 T20 runs in terms of balls faced. He was also given a lifeline on 32 when Aniket Verma dropped him at the boundary.
Even after the field spread, Sooryavanshi continued to find boundaries with inventive strokeplay, including a reverse-swat over backward point. However, an attempt at another innovation — shaping for a reverse-scoop — resulted in his dismissal to a yorker from Sakib Hussain in the 14th over. Before that, he had struck 6, 4, 6 off the same bowler to reach his century.
This was his second-fastest IPL hundred, following a 35-ball effort against Gujarat Titans last season. Remarkably, he now holds the second- and third-fastest centuries in IPL history — at just 15 years of age.
Limited Support from Rajasthan Royals
While Sooryavanshi dominated, contributions from the rest of the batting unit were modest. Dhruv Jurel struggled early and finished with 51 off 35 despite accelerating later. Riyan Parag endured another difficult outing, dismissed for 7 off 9 by a sharp Cummins yorker.
Cummins and Eshan Malinga executed yorkers effectively in the closing stages, restricting scoring. Only Donovan Ferreira, with 33 off 16 balls, managed to provide some late impetus.
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SRH’s Chase Anchored by Key Partnership
Archer made an immediate impact with the ball, generating an early chance off the first delivery of SRH’s innings, but it was dropped by Jurel. After a few probing deliveries, Archer eventually removed Head with a sharp delivery that found the edge.
The over ended dramatically when Kishan, fending off a bouncer, edged the ball for six over fine leg — a moment that reflected SRH’s early fortune.
Abhishek also enjoyed early luck, surviving edges and dropped chances, including one from Shimron Hetmyer and another from Ravindra Jadeja. Capitalising on these reprieves, both left-handers targeted width effectively, consistently finding or clearing the off-side field.
RR’s bowling plans didn’t quite come together, with inconsistent execution allowing SRH to maintain scoring pressure. The presence of two left-hand batters also prompted the use of part-time spin options before frontline spinners were introduced.
By the time Ravi Bishnoi and Jadeja came into the attack, the contest had largely slipped away. Heinrich Klaasen (29 off 24) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (36 off 18) guided SRH close to the target before both departed late, leaving the finishing touches to the remaining batters.
