{"id":12951,"date":"2026-05-29T05:43:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T05:43:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/vaibhav-sooryavanshis-97-in-eliminator-draws-huge-praise-ahead-of-ipl-2026"},"modified":"2026-05-29T05:43:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T05:43:08","slug":"vaibhav-sooryavanshis-97-in-eliminator-draws-huge-praise-ahead-of-ipl-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/vaibhav-sooryavanshis-97-in-eliminator-draws-huge-praise-ahead-of-ipl-2026","title":{"rendered":"Vaibhav Sooryavanshi\u2019s 97 in Eliminator Draws Huge Praise Ahead of IPL 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The IPL 2026 Eliminator delivered a headline-grabbing moment as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi blasted a blistering 29-ball 97, leaving fans wondering how close he came to the speediest hundred in league history. The 15-year-old\u2019s innings didn\u2019t just turn heads\u2014it drew instant admiration from cricket legends, including Sachin Tendulkar and Chris Gayle, who praised the sheer impact of his batting.<\/p>\n<h3>Quick facts<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Vaibhav Sooryavanshi struck 97 off 29 balls in the IPL 2026 Eliminator.<\/li>\n<li>His innings was described as nearly matching the fastest-ever IPL century.<\/li>\n<li>Pakistan businessman Javed Afridi praised the 15-year-old on social media.<\/li>\n<li>Sooryavanshi has scored 680 runs in 15 matches in IPL 2026.<\/li>\n<li>His strike rate in the ongoing season is 242.85.<\/li>\n<li>Rajasthan Royals are two wins away from the IPL 2026 title, with Sooryavanshi as a key driver.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>That buzz wasn\u2019t confined to India. Javed Afridi, a Pakistani businessman who owns Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League, also voiced his admiration for Sooryavanshi, calling the innings \u201cpure brilliance.\u201d Writing on his official X account, Afridi highlighted how the knock delivered constant thrills \u201cedge-of-the-seat\u201d style.<\/p>\n<p>Afridi\u2019s message went beyond praise for one performance. He framed franchise cricket as a vital pathway for young talent, arguing that leagues such as the PSL create the same kind of stage the IPL has offered Sooryavanshi. He urged the need to build more opportunities so that Pakistan\u2019s young players can showcase their skills and \u201clight up the world\u201d in the way Sooryavanshi has.<\/p>\n<p>Sooryavanshi\u2019s rise appears to be gathering momentum at exactly the right time. Even though it is only his second year in the IPL, he has already been rewriting expectations with a steady stream of match-winning output across IPL 2026.<\/p>\n<p>For the season, the Rajasthan Royals youngster currently sits at the top of the run-scoring charts. In 15 matches, he has amassed 680 runs, maintaining an eye-popping strike rate of 242.85\u2014numbers that underline how quickly he can swing games in T20 cricket.<\/p>\n<p>With performances like these, Sooryavanshi has become a central force in a Rajasthan Royals unit that looks markedly rejuvenated. The franchise now find themselves just two wins short of lifting the IPL 2026 title, with his current form setting the tone each time the batting order takes the field.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The IPL 2026 Eliminator delivered a headline-grabbing moment as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi blasted a blistering 29-ball 97, leaving fans wondering how close he came to the&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":12950,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"IPL 2026 Eliminator: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi\u2019s 97 Sparks Praise","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"IPL 2026 Eliminator: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi\u2019s 29-ball 97 stuns fans and legends\u2014how close was he to the league\u2019s fastest hundred?","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12951","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>IPL 2026 Eliminator: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi\u2019s 97 Sparks Praise<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"IPL 2026 Eliminator: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi\u2019s 29-ball 97 stuns fans and legends\u2014how close was he to the league\u2019s fastest hundred?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/vaibhav-sooryavanshis-97-in-eliminator-draws-huge-praise-ahead-of-ipl-2026\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"IPL 2026 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