Vaibhav Sooryavanshi came within a whisker of making IPL history on Wednesday, but the moment slipped away in the Eliminator. The Rajasthan Royals opener was on 97 off just 28 balls when Praful Hinge struck to dismiss him, denying the 15-year-old the chance to become the fastest Indian Premier League centurion—one delivery away from breaking Chris Gayle’s mark for the quickest hundred off 30 balls. For a brief spell, everything pointed toward a landmark innings, yet one mistimed shot ended it, leaving the Mullanpur crowd stunned into silence as the teenager trudged back slowly to the pavilion. The disappointment was visible not just in Sooryavanshi’s expression, but also in the reaction of his teammates, who couldn’t quite believe the change in fortune.
Despite losing his wicket at that crucial stage, Sooryavanshi’s knock proved vital for the Royals’ total. He helped set the tone before his dismissal, and Rajasthan went on to post a formidable 243/8 in their 20 overs in the Eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad. During the middle period of the innings, the teenager was even wearing the Orange Cap—an indicator of how dominant his form had been throughout the tournament. That success, however, came with a sharp regret at the same time, because after reaching 97 he admitted that a different approach to the shot would likely have taken him to a century.
Speaking during the mid-innings, Sooryavanshi explained that he wasn’t trying to think too far ahead, but that the decision to play a certain line led to the miss. “I wasn’t really thinking about it like that, but I played that shot after looking at the fielder, and that’s why I mistimed it. If I had gone towards the third man, it would have cleared easily. But I tried to hit it straight, and that’s why I missed the shot,” he said at the time.
Hinge’s dismissal was the decisive turning point. The bowler delivered a short, wide ball, and Sooryavanshi moved across to attempt an upper cut over third man. However, the connection wasn’t good enough, and the fielder completed the catch with ease, bringing an end to an innings that had been threatening to rewrite records.
After the knockout, Sooryavanshi also looked back on the mindset the Royals wanted him to carry into such a high-pressure game. He revealed that ahead of the Eliminator, the coaching staff advised him to stay relaxed and simply follow what he had been doing in practice rather than add extra burden on himself. “All the coaches told me to do whatever I was doing in the practice sessions. They told me to enjoy and not take pressure,” he said.
While Sooryavanshi’s acceleration suggested the Royals might push beyond 280, the final part of the innings belonged to Sunrisers Hyderabad. In the closing overs, the visitors tightened their bowling and prevented Rajasthan from converting momentum into an even bigger total, ultimately restricting them to 243. The youngster acknowledged that the target might have looked different after his dismissal, but insisted the focus now would be on defending the score and executing plans. “Even after I got out, it seemed that we would get 270-280. But it is what it is. We will look to defend the score and execute our plans,” he said.
Even without a hundred, the innings had major impact on his tournament standing. The 97-run knock ensured Sooryavanshi retained the Orange Cap, and it also helped him break Chris Gayle’s record for the most sixes in a single IPL season. It wasn’t just about power, though—he also became the youngest batter in IPL history to surpass 600 runs in one season, underlining just how quickly he’s imposing himself on the league’s biggest stages.
