Jaipur: 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi smashed a brilliant century as Rajasthan Royals posted 228/6 in 20 overs against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the 36th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Saturday.
Asked to bat first, Rajasthan Royals got off to a flying start, thanks to young opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. He came out all guns blazing and took on Praful Hinge in the very first over, smashing four sixes and collecting 25 runs. The aggressive intent continued in the next over as Sooryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal hit a six each off Pat Cummins, who was playing his first match of the season.
Sunrisers Hyderabad managed to pull things back briefly in the third over when Eshan Malinga dismissed Jaiswal with a clever slower delivery. Jaiswal made 10 runs off eight balls, including one six. Despite the wicket, RR maintained a strong scoring rate. Sooryavanshi continued to dominate and brought up his half-century in just 15 balls, hitting a six off Sakib Hussain in the final over of the powerplay. Rajasthan Royals ended the first six overs at a commanding 73/1.
Sooryavanshi kept attacking and found good support from Dhruv Jurel, who rotated the strike well and kept the scoreboard ticking. In the 11th over, Jurel shifted gears by smashing a massive 101-metre six off Malinga, followed by a boundary on the next ball. He went on to score a quick fifty off 34 balls but was dismissed on the very next delivery by Nitish Kumar Reddy while attempting a pull shot. Jurel scored 51 off 25 balls, hitting eight fours and one six.
Even after losing his partner, Sooryavanshi did not slow down. He continued his fearless batting and reached his second IPL century in just 36 balls, hitting back-to-back sixes off Sakib Hussain in the 14th over. However, his innings came to an end on the very next ball when he was trapped LBW while trying to play a reverse scoop. His stunning knock of 103 came off just 37 balls and included five fours and 12 sixes.
Rajasthan Royals faced another setback in the 17th over when captain Riyan Parag was bowled by Pat Cummins for just 7 runs off 9 balls, continuing his poor run this season.
In the final overs, Donovan Ferreira provided the late push with a quickfire 33 off 16 balls, hitting three fours and three sixes. He was dismissed in the 19th over while attempting another big shot off Malinga. Shimron Hetmyer added 11 runs as the Rajasthan Royals comfortably crossed the 220-run mark.
For Sunrisers Hyderabad, Eshan Malinga was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with figures of 2/38 in his four overs. Pat Cummins, Praful Hinge, Sakib Hussain and Nitish Kumar Reddy picked up one wicket each, but they struggled to contain the flow of runs on a high-scoring pitch.
Brief Scores: Rajasthan Royals 228/6 in 20 overs (Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 103, Dhruv Jurel 51; Donovan Ferreira 33; Eshan Malinga 2-38, Nitish Kumar Reddy 1-20) against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
(IANS)
