The familiar storyline returned in Jaipur as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi once again sparked the Rajasthan Royals with a sharp start, briefly giving the hosts hope in their pursuit of 230 against the Gujarat Titans at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Saturday. But when Gujarat made a targeted adjustment, the young batter’s momentum was cut short, and the Royals’ chase quickly unravelled.
Key takeaways
- Sooryavanshi launched Rajasthan’s chase with rapid momentum, reaching 36 off 15 balls before his dismissal.
- Gujarat head coach Ashish Nehra signalled a plan to Mohammed Siraj from the boundary, setting up the key breakthrough.
- Siraj removed Sooryavanshi late in the third over, finishing the innings with a skiddy bouncer clocked at 146.6 kmph.
- The Titans defended successfully, winning by 77 runs after restricting Rajasthan to 152 all out.
- With the knock, Sooryavanshi’s season tally rose to 440 runs in 11 matches, placing him fifth in the Orange Cap standings.
Sooryavanshi’s explosive beginning and the moment Gujarat changed the narrative
For a short while, it looked like the Royals might turn the chase into a contest. Sooryavanshi came out with the same kind of intent that had made headlines a year earlier against the Titans, when he struck a 35-ball century versus the same opposition. This time around, he repeated the fast start immediately, smashing Mohammed Siraj for a six off the very first delivery he faced in the IPL 2026 match against Shubman Gill’s side.
He kept driving the action forward, pushing the innings along at a brisk pace—at one stage he was 36 runs off just 15 balls. That’s when Gujarat’s coaching intervention shifted the direction of the game.
Nehra’s signal, Siraj’s execution, and a quick end to the chase
Ashish Nehra, the Titans’ head coach, stepped into the moment by sending a clear instruction from the boundary ropes to Siraj. The broadcast cameras caught Nehra standing close to the boundary, relaying signals as he watched Sooryavanshi’s approach.
The message was delivered precisely: Siraj responded with the kind of delivery Nehra appeared to be urging—aimed to attack Sooryavanshi with pace and height, specifically by using a bouncer. Siraj executed the plan perfectly, and Sooryavanshi was beaten by the speed and the bounce, managing only to lift the ball into the air. Arshad Khan then held a straightforward catch to end the threat.
The wicket details: bouncer at 146.6 kmph and a top-edge
Sooryavanshi’s dismissal arrived on the final delivery of the third over. Siraj, who was 32 at the time, bowled a skiddy bouncer at 146.6 kmph and forced the 15-year-old onto his shot early. The bumper was pitched around the middle and off stump, leaving little space for the batter to get properly set or line himself up.
Sooryavanshi could only manage a top edge, and Arshad Khan completed the catch at short fine leg. Immediately after taking the wicket, Siraj launched into an animated celebration, with his emotions clearly visible as he reacted to the breakthrough.
Numbers from the innings and the match result
Despite the early finish, Sooryavanshi’s contribution mattered for Rajasthan’s tempo. His 36-run knock took his run total to 440 across 11 matches, and he currently sits fifth in the Orange Cap race.
In the wider contest, Gujarat Titans came out on top by 77 runs. The Titans posted a strong total and then bowled out the Royals for only 152, turning the chase into a quick collapse once the key wicket fell. With the win, Gujarat moved into second place in the standings, while Rajasthan slipped to fifth.
