The IPL noise has been deafening around Vaibhav Sooryavanshi this season, but Rajasthan Royals have advanced to Qualifier 2 on more than just headline-grabbing fireworks. While the 15-year-old has dominated conversations with his power game, Dhruv Jurel has been the steady hand threading together innings when the match demanded grit. In the background, his consistency has helped reshape Rajasthan’s middle order into a reliable engine.
Quick facts
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi: 680 runs in 15 innings at a strike rate of 242.85, including 1 century, two scores in the 90s and 2 fifties.
- Dhruv Jurel: 508 runs in 15 matches at a strike rate of 155.35, including 6 half-centuries.
- Jurel is the only other Rajasthan batter besides Sooryavanshi to reach 500+ runs this season and Rajasthan’s second-highest run-scorer.
- Jurel is only the second middle-order batter after Heinrich Klaasen to score more than 500 runs this season.
- Eliminator in New Chandigarh on Wednesday: Sooryavanshi made 28-ball 97; Jurel followed with a 21-ball half-century.
- Rajasthan gets a day off before Qualifier 2 against Gujarat Titans on Friday at the same venue.
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru have already qualified for the final and will watch the Qualifier 2 clash to know their opponent for Sunday in Ahmedabad.
Sooryavanshi’s rise has been powered by fearless hitting against some of the toughest bowling lines the tournament has seen. On Wednesday night in New Chandigarh, even names like Jasprit Bumrah, Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Pat Cummins found themselves struggling to contain him. The raw intent in his batting has made it feel like very few international-calibre pacers can truly check his momentum.
Across 15 innings, the teenager has piled up 680 runs at a staggering strike rate of 242.85. His output includes a century, two separate knocks in the 90s, and two additional fifties, which is why the cricket world keeps circling his performances. Yet for all the celebrations around his numbers, Jurel’s role has been just as central to Rajasthan’s recent stability.
Jurel’s quiet backbone
Jurel has delivered 508 runs in 15 outings, striking at 155.35 while collecting six half-centuries. Importantly, he is the only other batter for Rajasthan besides Sooryavanshi to cross the 500-run mark this year, placing him as the franchise’s second-highest run-scorer. His consistency has also put him among the elite middle-order contributors, with only Heinrich Klaasen managing more than 500 runs in the same season.
More than just volume, Jurel’s runs have arrived when pressure is highest. That was on display again during the Eliminator in New Chandigarh on Wednesday, where Sooryavanshi provided the explosive start with a 28-ball 97. Rajasthan’s scoring rate surged well beyond 15, but Yashasvi Jaiswal was still working for his share at the other end, and SRH were alert to how quickly the game could swing.
When these two sides met earlier in Jaipur, Sooryavanshi had produced a 35-ball century, only for Rajasthan to end up on the losing side. The key difference this time was that the batting did not rely on one man alone. Once Sooryavanshi fell in the Eliminator, the tempo briefly dipped and the run rate looked as though it could slide—at one point, it even threatened to drop to below 12 an over.
It was Jurel who arrested that momentum shift, striking with intent to reach a 21-ball half-century. That burst added a fresh layer of momentum to Rajasthan’s innings and ensured the pressure did not turn into a collapse. Without the combined impact of Sooryavanshi and Jurel, the outcome could have gone the other way.
Now Rajasthan have a day’s break before taking on Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2 on Friday at the same venue. Royal Challengers Bengaluru, meanwhile, are already set for the final and will keep a close eye on the Chandigarh contest to determine who they will face in Sunday’s title match in Ahmedabad.
