Another match day, another Vaibhav Sooryavanshi statement. The Rajasthan Royals opener carried forward the momentum from his IPL 2026 Eliminator knock against Sunrisers Hyderabad, but this time he couldn’t quite reach the three-figure mark. In Qualifier 2 against Gujarat Titans at Mullanpur on Friday, the 15-year-old was dismissed for 96, falling just short of what looked like a certain century as he once again punished a high-quality bowling unit featuring Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Kagiso Rabada and Jason Holder.
Sooryavanshi’s innings had the hallmarks of a batter who can pace himself when needed. He reached his fifty with what was the slowest five-decade score of his IPL career—taking 31 balls to get there—before accelerating in a hurry. From that point, he added 45 more runs off the next 16 deliveries, finishing with an aggressive finish that included eight boundaries and seven sixes.
The impact of that 96 wasn’t limited to the scoreboard. With runs coming thick and fast throughout the season, Sooryavanshi also became the quickest Indian to cross the 1,000-run barrier in IPL history, surpassing Sai Sudharsan—who had needed 25 innings to reach the same milestone—by doing it in 23 innings. He also emerged as the youngest batter to score more than 1,000 runs in the tournament. Even more striking was the pace of his accumulation: he reached the 1,000-run mark in just 440 balls, making him the fastest to do so in terms of deliveries faced.
There was also a slice of fortune in the innings. Sooryavanshi was dropped by Sai Sudharsan off Prasidh Krishna’s bowling, yet he didn’t waste the reprieve—turning it into a productive knock that underlined his ability to handle different match situations. While his reputation is built on explosive batting, this innings reinforced that he can steer Rajasthan through the moments when scoring gets harder, rather than relying only on power hitting.
Two days earlier, the youngster had come agonisingly close to a hundred against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator, managing 97 off 29 balls. This time, while the century didn’t arrive, the contribution was significant enough to keep his season in the spotlight and further strengthen his standing in the Orange Cap race. The 96-run effort helped him consolidate the top spot, moving his tally to 776 runs from 16 matches.
Gavaskar points to a specific challenge
When Sooryavanshi departed, former India captain and legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar highlighted a particular area opponents could target. In his assessment, he suggested that the left-hander can be vulnerable to short bowling when he is in the 90s. Gavaskar said that once batters near that score, bowlers begin to feel they can force a mistake, and the key is to keep the ball skidding in a shorter length while setting up the field. He explained that if the batter is in the 90s, a short ball combined with a deep third-man setup can bring his wicket, whereas that approach may not work earlier in the innings.
Sooryavanshi’s knock formed the backbone of Rajasthan’s total. After opting to bat, the Riyan Parag-led side compiled 214/6 in their 20 overs, building a competitive platform in Qualifier 2. Support arrived from Ravindra Jadeja and Donovan Ferreira as well, with Jadeja making 45 not out and Ferreira contributing 38 not out, ensuring the Royals had enough runs to put Gujarat under pressure.
