Vaibhav Sooryavanshi once again lit up IPL 2026 with another sensational knock in Qualifier 2 against Gujarat Titans, but the Rajasthan Royals opener fell heartbreakingly short of a deserved century at the New Chandigarh Stadium on Friday. The 15-year-old batting prodigy looked destined for another playoff hundred after anchoring Rajasthan Royals’ innings with a far more composed and mature approach compared to his explosive 97 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator.
Unlike his previous blitzkrieg, Sooryavanshi initially took time to settle at the crease after Mohammed Siraj dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal in the first over. The RR youngster struggled slightly with timing during the Powerplay but gradually found his rhythm. He reached his half-century off 31 balls, unusually slow by his fearless standards, before switching gears dramatically in the middle overs.
Once settled, Sooryavanshi completely changed the tempo of the innings, smashing 46 runs in just 16 deliveries and putting the Gujarat Titans under immense pressure. However, Kagiso Rabada finally broke through in the 17th over with a smart short-ball trap. The South African pacer bowled a hard-length delivery outside off stump, tempting Sooryavanshi into attempting his trademark tennis-style slap shot.
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This time, though, the youngster failed to connect cleanly and mistimed the ball towards third man, where Prasidh Krishna completed a safe catch. Clearly frustrated after missing out on another memorable hundred, Sooryavanshi threw away his gloves while walking back to the pavilion.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi looked frustrated after getting out on 96 runs.🥺 pic.twitter.com/TpQfPlNd2v
— 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐢𝐢⁴⁵ (@rushiii_12) May 29, 2026
Despite falling short of three figures, the Rajasthan Royals opener created history during the innings. Sooryavanshi became the fastest Indian batter to complete 1000 IPL runs, reaching the milestone in just 23 innings and breaking Sai Sudharsan’s previous record of 25 innings. He also became one of the quickest players overall to the landmark in terms of balls faced, surpassing legends like Andre Russell and Matthew Hayden.
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After his dismissal, Gujarat Titans briefly regained control and looked confident of restricting Rajasthan Royals below 200. But Donovan Ferreira produced one of the most explosive finishes of IPL 2026.
The South African power-hitter destroyed Rashid Khan in the final over, smashing four gigantic sixes and collecting 27 runs from the over. Ferreira remained unbeaten on 38 off just 11 balls as Rajasthan Royals surged to a commanding 214/6, significantly shifting the pressure back onto Gujarat Titans in the knockout clash.
