Rajasthan Royals kept their IPL 2026 winning hopes alive with a dominant win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator at New Chandigarh on Wednesday. A stunning batting effort followed by a fiery spell with the ball helped RR seal a comfortable 47-run victory and book a place in Qualifier 2 against Gujarat Titans.
The match saw two players completely take over the contest at different stages. First it was teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi with a breathtaking assault on the SRH bowling attack, and later Jofra Archer crushed Hyderabad’s chase with a devastating spell inside the powerplay.
Vaibhav tears apart SRH bowling attack
Batting first after being put in by Pat Cummins, Rajasthan Royals got off to a flying start thanks to another fearless innings from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
The 15-year-old opener attacked from the very beginning and smashed the SRH bowlers all around the ground. Cummins, Eshan Malinga and Sakib Hussain all struggled badly against the young batter, who looked unstoppable once he settled in.
Vaibhav hammered 97 runs from only 29 balls and smashed 12 sixes during one of the greatest playoff knocks in IPL history. He missed the fastest century in IPL history by a small margin after getting out in the eighth over while trying to play another attacking shot against Praful Hinge.
Even though he fell short of the hundred, the crowd rose to applaud the teenager as he walked back disappointed after missing a historic milestone.
Chris Gayle’s sixes record broken
During the innings, Sooryavanshi also went past Chris Gayle’s long-standing record for the most sixes in a single IPL season.
Gayle had hit 59 sixes in IPL 2012 for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, but Vaibhav has now crossed that mark with an incredible 65 sixes this season.
The RR opener also matched Suresh Raina’s record for the fastest fifty in IPL playoff history by reaching his half-century in only 16 balls.
Jurel keeps RR scoring rate high
While Vaibhav dominated the early overs, Dhruv Jurel ensured Rajasthan Royals continued attacking in the middle overs.
The wicketkeeper-batter smashed a quickfire 50 off just 21 deliveries and played some aggressive shots against both pace and spin. RR looked set for an even bigger total at one stage after reaching 180/2 in 13 overs.
However, Sunrisers Hyderabad fought back strongly in the death overs and picked up wickets regularly to slow down Rajasthan’s scoring rate. RR lost five wickets for only 36 runs in the final five overs.
Despite the late collapse, Rajasthan still finished with a massive 243/8 on the board.
Archer destroys SRH top order
Chasing a huge target, Sunrisers Hyderabad needed a strong start but Jofra Archer completely changed the game inside the powerplay.
The England fast bowler removed Abhishek Sharma with a sharp short ball before dismissing Ishan Kishan and Travis Head in quick succession.
Head tried to make room against Archer’s pace but saw his stumps shattered, while Kishan was caught in the covers trying to attack. SRH were reduced to 57/4 within the first five overs and never fully recovered from the collapse.
Rajasthan Royals march into Qualifier 2
Although Hyderabad showed brief resistance in the middle overs, the required rate kept climbing and RR bowlers remained in control.
Rajasthan Royals eventually bowled SRH out for 196 in 19.2 overs to seal a 47-run win and move into Qualifier 2, where they will now face Gujarat Titans for a place in the IPL 2026 final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
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The post Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s explosive 97 And Jofra Archer’s fiery spell power RR past SRH in IPL 2026 Eliminator appeared first on Cricket Country.
