Rajasthan Royals defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 47 runs in Mullanpur to reach IPL 2026 Qualifier 2
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi smashed 97 off 29 balls, including 12 sixes, breaking Chris Gayle’s record for most sixes
IPL chairman Arun Dhumal confirmed discussions about moving to a September-October window
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 Eliminator between Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Mullanpur could rightly be termed the Vaibhav Sooryavanshi show. The 15-year-old played a knock of a lifetime, and then took the winning catch that brought SRH’s doomed chase to an end, sealing a 47-run win for RR and firing them to the Qualifier 2.
Sooryavanshi smashed his way to 97 runs off just 29 balls, a knock that included five fours and 12 sixes. He smashed Chris Gayle’s 14-year record of most sixes in a single IPL season. He could have broken another record held by the West Indian batter of the fastest IPL century, but a misjudged shot off Praful Hinge meant he fell short of his hundred by just three runs.
Still, it was an innings that will go down in IPL folklore. It was a celebration of the IPL and T20 cricket itself. It drove home a point – Sooryavanshi is here to stay.
There was a lot of chatter when he was picked up by the Royals last season. Even after his century-laden knocks in IPL 2025, there was a cynical feeling that he might turn out to be a one-season wonder.
Such talks feel blasphemous now. There is an argument to be made that Sooryavanshi has even shed the “prodigy” tag, and must be considered one of the best batters in today’s world cricket.
The last time a teenager took the cricketing world by storm was a certain Sachin Tendulkar. Tendulkar made his international debut against Pakistan at the age of 16 – a year older than Sooryavanshi is right now. If the RR batter can have a career half as good as Tendulkar, cricket fans are in for a treat.
The numbers, right now, show that Sooryavanshi is on the right path. Across 22 matches in the IPL, he has scored 932 runs at a strike rate of 231.84. That includes two centuries and five half-centuries, and an astonishing 89 sixes. This season, he has scored 680 runs at a strike rate of 242.86, with a record 65 sixes to his name.
The world has taken notice of this gem of a player. Social media is abuzz with praise being heaped on him by sporting legends and brand handles. It is rare to see such hype around a young Indian cricketer, an uncapped one at that, and that will only increase if Sooryavanshi continues with this rich vein of form in the upcoming matches.
Having already won the U-19 World Cup earlier this year, Sooryavanshi is just two matches away from lifting the IPL trophy, which would be the first senior trophy in his nascent career. Safe to say, the INR 1.1 crore that RR spent on him has been repaid, with significant interest.
RR’s gain is, however, SRH’s loss. The Sunrisers were marginally favourites entering tonight’s Eliminator, but they crashed and burned when it mattered. Despite finishing on 18 points, SRH had to settle for a third-place finish on net run rate, and the lack of a safety cushion came back to bite them.
SRH’s famed pace attack was completely decimated by Sooryavanshi and then Dhruv Jurel, pushing RR to a massive 243/8 total. Still, it was a chaseable total, or so it seemed, especially for a batting unit that had crossed 200 nine times this season.
But on Wednesday, they couldn’t. Terrific powerplay bowling from Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger meant that SRH were four down inside the powerplay, and Ravindra Jadeja and Sushant Mishra kept picking up wickets to make sure that the Sunrisers were all out at 196.
Now, RR will face Gujarat Titans – who lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) – in the Qualifier 2 on Friday. It will likely be another run-fest in Mullanpur, with both GT and RR boasting in-form top-order batters.
Though GT’s batters misfired against RCB, they will be itching to rectify that against RR, which will be a challenge for Archer and co. Similarly, the Titans’ pace battery of Prasidh Krishna, Kagiso Rabada, and Mohammed Siraj will be busy planning how to deal with the threat of Sooryavanshi.
IPL and Extreme Heat
Extreme heat appears to be a concern for all ongoing and upcoming tournaments, including the FIFA World Cup 2026. The IPL’s March-May window falls during the peak Indian summertime, and that has led to tough playing conditions and fatigue for the players.
IPL chairman Arun Dhumal recently revealed that the BCCI might consider hosting the tournament in September and October. With the IPL Governing Council planning to expand the tournament from 2028, it might be held just before Diwali to allow for a cooler climate.
Dhoni Still Matters
We previously talked about how MS Dhoni’s looming shadow has upstaged Chennai Super Kings’ doomed campaign, with the veteran dominating the headlines despite missing the entire season with a calf injury.
CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan confirmed the trust that the franchise placed in their former captain, saying that the team “would always like to have him as a permanent fixture … in whatever capacity.”
“Everything depends on him,” Viswanathan said, further cementing the influence that Dhoni continues to enjoy with the five-time IPL champions.
Photo of the Day
The sparks flew when Sooryavanshi entered the pitch, and the sparks definitely flew when he smashed sixes all over the park. A perfect combination of brute force and terrific technique, the kind of player the world has not seen in a long, long time.
Quote of the Day
Almost feels like a generational passing of the baton.
Elsewhere…
Away from the IPL, the India women’s team will begin their three-match T20I tour of England on Thursday. The first match will be held on May 28 at the County Ground in Chelmsford, with Harmanpreet Kaur leading the Women in Blue. This tour will serve as preparation for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, which starts on June 12.
With Mitchell Marsh ruled out because of an ankle injury, Josh Inglis will captain Australia during the three-match ODI tour of Pakistan, which begins in Rawalpindi on Sunday.
New Zealand, meanwhile, are playing a one-off Test against Ireland at the Civil Service Cricket Stadium in Belfast. After a thrilling day of red-ball cricket, the Black Caps were 361/5 at stumps on the opening day. Rachin Ravindra scored 121, while Tom Blundell was unbeaten at 142.
