Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has emerged as the defining figure of IPL 2026, and at just 15 years old, the Rajasthan Royals opener has been carving through bowling line-ups with relentless authority. He has piled up 568 runs at an eye-popping strike rate of 232, placing him firmly in the race for the Orange Cap. His impact has been especially brutal in big moments, highlighted by a 36-ball century in Jaipur last month—booked as the third-fastest hundred in IPL history—against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Rajasthan and SRH now cross paths again in Wednesday’s Eliminator in New Chandigarh, and that Jaipur innings still sits at the forefront of Pat Cummins’ thinking.
Sooryavanshi’s Jaipur masterclass and the revenge arc
Before that Jaipur fireworks, SRH were the only side to have managed a measure of containment on the teenage phenomenon. In the earlier meeting at Hyderabad, Praful Hinge had dismissed Sooryavanshi for a duck right from the first over. But the script flipped completely when the teams met again in Jaipur.
- In the reverse fixture at Hyderabad, Praful Hinge got Sooryavanshi out for 0 in the opening over.
- In Jaipur, Sooryavanshi arrived with intent and struck back immediately, hitting four sixes in the opening over itself.
- SRH did create another chance later, but the batter was dropped on 32.
- After that reprieve, he accelerated—moving to a 15-ball fifty before converting it into a 36-ball hundred.
The innings didn’t just change the match; it left a mark inside the SRH camp, and that memory is part of what Cummins is preparing to manage in the Eliminator.
Cummins on forcing a “Plan B/Plan C” for SRH
Speaking to JioStar ahead of Wednesday’s Eliminator, Cummins acknowledged that Sooryavanshi has compelled Sunrisers to spend more time beyond their usual bowling blueprint. The Australian captain framed it as a constant balancing act—knowing what a bowler can execute well, while also adjusting when an individual in the opposing XI can swing the game on his own.
“It’s always a balance of, as a bowler, understanding what you do well and how you’re going to bowl to your strengths. But when there are probably one or two players in every lineup who can take the game away from the opposition, you do spend a little bit longer working on a Plan B or Plan C. So, yeah, we’ll plan for him,” Cummins said.
In other words, even though SRH have a core plan, they’re preparing contingencies specifically for the way Sooryavanshi can break matches apart.
How SRH can respond this time—and what happened in Jaipur
Despite the damage Sooryavanshi inflicted, Cummins insisted SRH aren’t approaching the upcoming game with panic. He pointed to the fact that while the teenager did deliver a century, there were also phases where SRH bowled competently and kept him under pressure—until he escaped and changed the tempo.
- Cummins noted that even in the Jaipur hundred, SRH had spells where they bowled well and held him back.
- He also acknowledged that at other moments, Sooryavanshi managed to get away from the plan and take control.
- “So, we’ll learn from that,” Cummins added.
Notably, the century didn’t end in Rajasthan’s favour in that Jaipur meeting. Sunrisers still won the game, chasing 229 in 18.3 overs. The chase was powered by aggressive half-centuries from Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan.
Eliminator route: venue, next opponent, and season context
SRH have carried more than just momentum into this fixture as well. They completed a league-stage double over Rajasthan this season, winning both encounters.
With Wednesday’s Eliminator set at New Chandigarh, the winner will move directly to Qualifier 2 on Friday. Their opponent will be Gujarat Titans, who await the result after a separate qualification pathway. Gujarat’s place in Qualifier 2 comes after defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Gujarat in Qualifier 1.
