Vaibhav Sooryavanshi once again left the cricketing world stunned with a breathtaking display of power-hitting as Rajasthan Royals knocked Sunrisers Hyderabad out of IPL 2026 with a dominant 47-run victory in the Eliminator at Mullanpur. The 15-year-old batting sensation played one of the most destructive knocks in IPL playoff history, smashing 97 runs off just 29 deliveries.

Sooryavanshi tore apart the SRH bowling attack with fearless strokeplay, hammering 12 massive sixes and rewriting multiple records in the process. With this innings, the Rajasthan Royals opener took his tally to 680 runs and 65 sixes for the season, surpassing Chris Gayle’s long-standing record for the most sixes in a single IPL edition.
His extraordinary consistency and explosive batting have quickly turned him into the breakout superstar of IPL 2026. The cricket fraternity has continued to shower praise on the teenager, and former Kolkata Knight Riders all-rounder Andre Russell became the latest global star to applaud Sooryavanshi’s remarkable rise.
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Andre Russell shared a story on Instagram, calling himself a “big fan” of the youngster and also advising him to ignore critics and online trolls questioning his real age.
Andre Russell’s Instagram story for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. pic.twitter.com/d9gtHkAoD8
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) May 27, 2026
Sooryavanshi narrowly missed out on what would have been the fastest century in IPL history, but his explosive innings completely changed the course of the Eliminator. Rajasthan Royals raced to a commanding total of 243/8, with the teenager laying the perfect platform during the powerplay and middle overs.
While Sooryavanshi dominated the headlines with the bat, Jofra Archer delivered the decisive blows with the ball. The England fast bowler ripped through SRH’s top order inside the powerplay, dismissing Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, and Ishan Kishan to leave Hyderabad struggling early in the chase.
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Sunrisers Hyderabad never truly recovered from those setbacks and were eventually bowled out for 196 in 19.2 overs. Rajasthan Royals now march into Qualifier 2, where they will face Gujarat Titans for a place in the IPL 2026 final.
