Vaibhav Sooryavanshi delivered a headline-grabbing performance in the IPL 2026 Eliminator, blasting Sunrisers Hyderabad out of the contest with an explosive innings that carried Rajasthan Royals to a 47-run victory and a berth in Qualifier 2. The 15-year-old opener struck 97 off only 29 balls, smashing 12 sixes in the process, narrowly missing out on a century but making sure his fearless approach dominated the evening.<\/p>\n
In a match where momentum shifted quickly, Sooryavanshi took control from the outset. Although he fell short of a hundred, his 29-ball knock\u2014featuring 12 maximums\u2014proved decisive enough for Rajasthan to secure the Eliminator win and advance to the next stage of the tournament.<\/p>\n
One of the defining storylines was the manner in which he accumulated sixes. Chris Gayle, famed for setting the benchmark for the most sixes in an IPL season, highlighted the youngster\u2019s milestone after Sooryavanshi reached 65 sixes in the tournament. That total moved him past Gayle\u2019s record of 59 sixes set in 2015.<\/p>\n
Gayle shared his admiration for the teenager\u2019s power hitting, praising him as a sensational talent and calling him a \u201cnew six machine,\u201d celebrating the way Sooryavanshi\u2019s season has taken the league by storm.<\/p>\n
After the match, Sooryavanshi addressed the questions that came with such a near-miss at a landmark score. When asked about narrowly missing the fastest IPL hundred, he said he only learned about the detail after the game.<\/p>\n
He also made it clear that his mindset throughout was not about personal milestones. His priority, he explained, was to keep finding boundaries\u2014especially sixes\u2014and to pile up as many runs as possible for his team, adding that centuries can come later.<\/p>\n
While the batting provided the spark, Jofra Archer played a critical role in shaping the outcome with key breakthroughs at the perfect time. The England pacer struck during the powerplay, dismissing Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, and Ishan Kishan in early phases of Hyderabad\u2019s chase.<\/p>\n
With those losses piling up, SRH never managed to recover their rhythm. The chase ended with Hyderabad all out for 196 in 19.2 overs, handing Rajasthan the 47-run win.<\/p>\n
Having secured their place in the next stage, Rajasthan Royals will take on Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2, with a spot in the IPL final at stake.<\/p>\n
Rising-star recognition also followed the innings. India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav praised the youngster\u2019s bravery and impact, encouraging him with a message that called his display a top-class effort and suggested he could become a future star.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi delivered a headline-grabbing performance in the IPL 2026 Eliminator, blasting Sunrisers Hyderabad out of the contest with an explosive innings that carried Rajasthan…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":12704,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 97 vs SRH: IPL 2026 Eliminator","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Vaibhav Sooryavanshi\u2019s 97-ball blitz (97 off 29) stuns SRH in the IPL 2026 Eliminator, sending Rajasthan Royals to Qualifier 2.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12705","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n