Rajasthan Royals batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi looked visibly frustrated after getting out during their Sunday meeting with Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens. The 15-year-old struck a quick 46 off 28 balls, finding the fence six times and clearing it twice, before under-pressure KKR spinner Varun Chakravarthy ended his innings.
Sooryavanshi tried to go big over midwicket, but the timing slipped and the ball fell into Ramandeep Singh’s safe hands. Singh made a sharp, full-stretch diving catch to his right in the deep, bringing an abrupt stop to a promising knock.
Vaibhav’s frustration and the near-record
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored 46 off 28 balls for RR.
- His innings included six fours and two sixes.
- He was dismissed by Varun Chakravarthy.
- Ramandeep Singh completed a diving catch in the deep.
- Sooryavanshi missed out on a chance to reach 500 IPL runs faster by balls faced.
- He entered the match with 445 runs from 193 deliveries.
- The existing fastest mark to 500 IPL runs is Glenn Maxwell’s 315 balls.
After the dismissal, Sooryavanshi’s body language said it all—he walked back visibly upset, swinging his bat in anger as he headed toward the dressing room. While the half-century was out of reach, the bigger heartbreak was that he was only nine runs away from becoming the quickest player to touch 500 IPL runs, measured by balls faced.
Before facing KKR, the teenager had already amassed 445 runs off 193 balls. The benchmark he was chasing belonged to Australia’s Glenn Maxwell, who had reached the 500-run mark in just 315 deliveries.
Captains’ calls after the toss
Earlier in the contest, RR captain Riyan Parag won the toss and chose to bat first at Eden Gardens. Parag’s message was clear: he felt the surface looked dry, with grass trimmed the previous day, and expected it to offer something early while potentially staying consistent later on.
Parag also stressed the need to start with intent, saying the team’s aim was to set the tone from the beginning and carry lessons from the previous match into the current game. He added that Hetmyer and Brijesh were returning to the XI, with Pretorious and Tushar Deshpande making way.
KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane, meanwhile, said his side had wanted to bat first. He noted that in such conditions they prefer batters to play without added pressure, and he was pleased with the way the bowling unit had started to click. Rahane also remarked that losing the toss doesn’t change preparation, and insisted the focus should stay on controllables.
Rahane concluded by saying the team preparation had been excellent and that KKR were backing the same group to deliver on the day.
