Rajasthan Royals delivered a dominant all-round performance to knock Sunrisers Hyderabad out of IPL 2026 and book their place in Qualifier 2. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s remarkable season reached another stunning high in the Eliminator, as the 15-year-old produced one of the standout innings of IPL 2026 and helped Rajasthan Royals secure a 47-run victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi unleashed a barrage of sixes, coming agonizingly close to one of the fastest centuries in IPL history before falling just three runs short. His innings set the tone for Rajasthan’s massive total of 243/8, putting Hyderabad under immediate pressure in a high-stakes knockout clash.
Strong Support from the Middle Order
While Sooryavanshi dominated headlines, Dhruv Jurel played a crucial supporting role with a rapid half-century. His aggressive approach ensured Rajasthan maintained momentum through the middle overs, even as wickets fell towards the end of the innings.
Despite a late collapse, the total proved more than enough on the day.
With the ball, Jofra Archer made the early breakthroughs that effectively decided the contest. His fiery spell in the powerplay dismantled Hyderabad’s top order, including key wickets that halted any serious chase.
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Even though SRH showed brief resistance through partnerships in the middle overs, they were eventually bowled out for 196, falling well short of the target.
Sooryavanshi Destroys SRH’s Plans
The central question for every IPL team this season has been how to keep Sooryavanshi quiet, and SRH arrived with a clear plan. Pat Cummins and Eshan Malinga tried to bowl full and straight in the powerplay, almost like death bowling, while keeping both leg-side outfielders in front of square and using the occasional short ball as a surprise.
It was a tactic with very little room for error, and Sooryavanshi punished anything that was even slightly off target. When he had the chance to get underneath a full delivery, he did so with outstanding timing. Anything short was sent over the leg-side boundary behind square.
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SRH kept changing plans, but Sooryavanshi continued to find answers. He was especially effective when holding his shape and lifting slower deliveries over mid-off and extra-cover. The one approach SRH did not really test was a more traditional good length, possibly because of how flat the New Chandigarh surface appeared.
Royals March On
The victory sends Rajasthan Royals into Qualifier 2, where they will face Gujarat Titans for a place in the final. With Sooryavanshi in sensational form and Archer delivering with the ball, RR have emerged as serious title contenders at the business end of IPL 2026.
