97 off 29: Sooryavanshi Blitz Knocks SRH Out of Playoffs

Player: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, 15-year-old RR opener from Bihar. Knock: 97 off 29 balls – strike rate 334.48. Impact: That blitz knocked Sunrisers Hyderabad out of IPL 2026. Pattern: Continues his trend of “six-hitting mayhem” from U-19 World Cup 2026 into IPL. Sooryavanshi’s 2026 Season So Far Sixes king: Leads IPL 2026 with 53 sixes, 579 runs. Mindset: Told RR coach Sangakkara “ho jayega” before walking out in a must-win game vs LSG. Partnership: Forms explosive ‘JaiSurya’ opening pair with Yashasvi Jaiswal – 383 runs together. Sooryavanshi swept past numerous records over the course of his innings - among them the most sixes by any batter in a T20 tournament - and he came within one shot of breaking Chris Gayle's record for the fastest IPL century (30 balls) only to top-edge an attempted uppercut to deep third to fall for 97 off 29 balls. Bogey team no more: SRH had beaten RR twice this season and were on a 6-game win streak vs them. Top order firepower: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Heinrich Klaasen with 555 runs, and Ishan Kishan’s 79 off 46 Playoff spot: SRH finished 3rd with 9 wins, setting up an EliminatorIf this 97 off 29 was the knockout blow in the Eliminator or a late league game, it fits the pattern – Sooryavanshi has been dismantling attacks in the Powerplay all season. A second-wicket stand of 51 off just 15 balls from Ishan Kishan and Travis Head was threatening to turn this game into a repeat of the last meeting between these sides - Sooryavanshi had scored 103 off just 37 balls that day, but SRH had fired from both ends where RR had fired from just one - but Archer made sure that didn't happen, dismissing both of them. He had already bounced out Abhishek Sharma before that; this was a truly special display against one of the most dangerous top threes in all T20 cricket. RR eventually won by 47 runs, setting up a meeting with Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2 on Friday. Rajasthan Royals 243 for 8 (Sooryavanshi 97, Jurel 50, Hinge 3-54) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad 196 (Reddy 38, Arora 35, Kishan 33, Archer 3-58, Burger 2-26) by 47 runs