Vaibhav Sooryavanshi left the field looking visibly frustrated, and so did much of the Rajasthan Royals setup. The 15-year-old, who has been attracting attention for his fearless batting, failed to convert again after coming up short on two straight occasions—once in the IPL Eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Wednesday and again on Friday versus Gujarat Titans. In Qualifier 2 of the Indian Premier League at this venue, Sooryavanshi still produced a flurry of impressive shots, striking a brisk 96 off 47 balls to help Rajasthan Royals post 214 for six against Gujarat Titans.
A larger crowd turned up than on Wednesday night, with many making the trip specifically to see the youngster carry out his aggressive brand of batting. There was also a sense that a well-earned hundred was within reach, as it had been the case in the Eliminator. Yet, for the second game in a row, Sooryavanshi was dismissed at third man—this time after being caught off a short delivery from Kagiso Rabada. Following the wicket, Riyan Parag was seen having a heated exchange with Sooryavanshi, who appeared shaken by the dismissal.
Rajasthan certainly felt they received their money’s worth from Sooryavanshi, who continued to bully the leading bowlers, including Rabada and Jason Holder. After early setbacks—Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel both departing inside the opening two overs—Sooryavanshi had to reshape his approach on a pitch that had been used. Mohammed Siraj, Rabada, and Prasidh Krishna arrived with a clear plan: keep the ball on a length around the body and use the occasional bouncer to restrict Sooryavanshi.
With the same surface used for the second match in succession, the ball didn’t come onto the bat quite as cleanly as it had in the Eliminator. Sooryavanshi also struggled to nail his timing early, as the bowlers weren’t offering the kind of deliveries that would let him free his arms. Even so, he still managed to play eye-catching shots, with the standout moment arriving when he launched a straight six off a back-of-a-length ball from Rabada, clocked at 153 kmph.
Brought in at number four given the situation, Ravindra Jadeja finished the innings with poise, remaining unbeaten on 45 off 35 balls. He looked to take the pacers on—especially Krishna—who bowled a little too short in his first over. Jadeja’s stay wasn’t entirely smooth, though, as he was dealing with a tennis elbow issue and had to retire hurt after the eighth over. He later returned to join the late-innings push alongside Ferreira, helping accelerate the final phase, with Ferreira finishing on 38 not out off 11 balls.
Sooryavanshi also received a slice of fortune: Sai Sudharsan dropped him on 46. Still, he went on to register his sixth fifty of the tournament and then made life difficult for Gujarat by turning the screw during the middle overs. Even after taking a hit on the helmet while facing Rabada, Sooryavanshi remained dangerous, adding a couple of audacious strokes off Jason Holder, who again impressed in the central overs.
Gujarat Titans had been tracking toward keeping Rajasthan under 200, but the choice to hand the ball to Rashid in the final over backfired. On a night that didn’t quite go their way, Ferreira hammered Rashid for a barrage of sixes, producing a potentially decisive 27-run over and ensuring Rajasthan ended up with a total that put real pressure on the chase.
