Sunrisers Hyderabad\u2019s IPL journey ended in dramatic fashion on Wednesday, May 27, when they were overwhelmed in the Eliminator at New Chandigarh by a ruthless Powerplay display powered by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The defeat pushed SRH out of the tournament, even though they had entered the postseason with points level with the leading two teams and only a slight disadvantage in net run-rate. That razor-thin margin never had a chance to matter once Sooryavanshi took over, blasting 97 off 29 balls to turn the knockout contest into one of those defining IPL innings that tends to be replayed for seasons.<\/p>\n
Sooryavanshi\u2019s impact wasn\u2019t a new story for SRH, but the ease with which he produced it still stood out. For all the freedom he seems to be given, it appears to be the kind of approach that doesn\u2019t require much tinkering from the franchise side. Riyan Parag summed it up with a simple message he shared with broadcasters after the match: \u201cJust leave him alone, let him go and have fun.\u201d Dhruv Jurel added more colour during the post-game press conference, describing the mindset that has helped Sooryavanshi thrive under pressure. \u201cThe best thing about Vaibhav that I have noticed is that he doesn\u2019t plan anything,\u201d Jurel said. \u201cBecause he practices a lot and he always backs himself. That\u2019s what he does every time he goes out and plays. The best thing about him is that he backs himself. He doesn\u2019t even have a shadow of doubt that \u2018I am not able to do it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Jurel also explained that Sooryavanshi\u2019s focus is unusually direct, rooted in a philosophy he learned young. \u201cWhen we go to an academy, (we\u2019re told) \u2018Don\u2019t watch the bowler, watch the ball,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cAs 17-year-olds, we always watch the bowler, (and think) he\u2019s a big name. But really, he just watches the ball. That\u2019s all.\u201d In essence, the mantra is about removing doubt and staying present\u2014\u201cI don\u2019t want give a damn about any bowler,\u201d Jurel said, capturing the confidence that has fuelled his attacking style.<\/p>\n
SRH assistant coach James Franklin acknowledged that the team tried to throw every option available at the 15-year-old, but that execution still couldn\u2019t match the threat he created. \u201cThere was a very, very small margin where you could bowl to him,\u201d Franklin said. \u201cI guess when you\u2019re playing on a really good pitch as well, it makes it particularly hard for bowlers to try and execute that tiny margin that you\u2019re looking for.\u201d He pointed to the early overs of the Powerplay as evidence that SRH were attempting to land balls in precise areas\u2014\u201ctrying to bowl quite full, sort of inside leg stump, trying to get under his swing\u201d\u2014only for the batter to adapt quickly. \u201cBut he started to work that out,\u201d Franklin added.<\/p>\n
Even when SRH altered their shape with unusual placements\u2014keeping their field quite straight at points like mid-off and cover\u2014Sooryavanshi continued to find ways to clear the boundary rope without showing visible strain. Franklin\u2019s view wasn\u2019t that SRH collapse came solely from one individual moment; he felt the bowling did tighten after the damage, particularly in the closing phase, even though the end result was already heading one way. He noted that at one stage the match looked like it could be in the 270\u2013280 range for RR, and SRH\u2019s later efforts helped prevent an even larger total.<\/p>\n
When asked about how to assess Sooryavanshi\u2019s talent in broader terms, Franklin rejected the idea of comparing him to past players. \u201cI don\u2019t think anyone\u2019s ever seen a talent like this,\u201d Franklin said. \u201cIt\u2019s freakish what he\u2019s doing at the moment. To think that he\u2019s potentially got 25 years left in the career is quite scary. He\u2019s only going to get better, he\u2019s only going to get stronger, he\u2019s only going to get more mature with how he bats.\u201d Franklin also addressed questions about tactics, including whether SRH should have introduced spin earlier to disrupt the rhythm. His explanation was that they did not want to look past their strike options in the Powerplay\u2014first with Cummins and Eshan Malinga, and then with Sakib Hussain\u2019s pace-change variations.<\/p>\n
Franklin argued that trying to throw a spinner at Sooryavanshi while he was already flowing would have been an exceptionally difficult ask. \u201cChucking a spinner at Sooryavanshi when he\u2019s going like that in the fourth or fifth over, that\u2019s a tough ask. We did what we could through the Powerplay,\u201d he said. He then explained the timing of Shivang Kumar\u2019s introduction, suggesting it aligned with the plan and the matchups SRH wanted to pursue rather than chasing a change purely for the sake of it.<\/p>\n
Beyond the match itself, Franklin framed Sooryavanshi as a vivid example of how modern T20 batting has evolved\u2014shaped by younger players who grow up with the format always on screen and develop habits that reflect that environment. \u201cSooryavanshi is an extreme example of today\u2019s T20 batting, governed by young players, who, as Franklin says \u2018don\u2019t have a lot of fear of the game,\u2019 as they\u2019ve grown up watching T20 on TV,\u201d the assistant coach\u2019s comments implied. Franklin continued, explaining what that fearlessness looks like in practice: \u201cWhen you\u2019re batting, they\u2019re trying to score boundaries as many as they can.\u201d He added that the same mentality appears in bowling as well, with teams aiming for wicket-taking opportunities through multiple variations. \u201cAnd I think when they\u2019re bowling as well, they\u2019re trying to bowl a lot of variations to create wicket-taking opportunities. So that\u2019s the way that the game\u2019s going and evolving.\u201d<\/p>\n
Finally, Franklin pointed to the pace of the sport in India\u2019s IPL as another reason why this generation can look so fearless and so fast. \u201cAnd it\u2019s evolved so much in the last five years, the pace of it. Particularly over here in India in the IPL, it\u2019s really a step above in terms of the pace of the game to most other T20 leagues,\u201d he said\u2014an assessment that encapsulates why Sooryavanshi\u2019s 29-ball 97 didn\u2019t just win a match, but changed the tempo of the entire Eliminator from the first signs of momentum.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sunrisers Hyderabad\u2019s IPL journey ended in dramatic fashion on Wednesday, May 27, when they were overwhelmed in the Eliminator at New Chandigarh by a ruthless…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":12712,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"IPL Eliminator: Jurel Praises Sooryavanshi After SRH Exit","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Jurel reflects on SRH\u2019s Eliminator heartbreak, praising Sooryavanshi\u2019s fearless powerplay as the team\u2019s IPL campaign ends in New Chandigarh.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12713","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n