Rajasthan Royals defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 47 runs thanks to a 29-ball 97 from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the Indian Premier League Eliminator match at Mullanpur on Wednesday.
Sooryavanshi gave the early momentum, adding 125 runs for the first wicket with Yashasvi Jaiswal, just missing the fastest century in IPL history.
RR finished with 243/8 and SRH were bundled out for 196 in 19.2 overs in their run chase.
On May 29, the Royals will play the Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2 at the same venue.
Earlier, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi stunned the cricket world once more by toying with bowlers like Pat Cummins on his way to a six-laden 97 off 29 balls to power Rajasthan Royals to 243/8.
Against Cummins and company on a true surface, the 15-year-old, who continues to challenge himself at such a young age, embarked on a six-hitting frenzy (12 in total). Sooryavanshi responded to the Australian captain’s and his bowling partners’ best efforts by launching balls after balls into the stands.
He had recently confided in Kevin Pietersen about his ridiculous goal of reaching 200 in a Twenty20 match. A double hundred was definitely in the cards given the manner he was smashing the ball at Mullanpur.
Eventually, he was caught at third man off Praful Hinge in the eighth over, just missing the opportunity to surpass Chris Gayle’s fastest IPL hundred record (30 balls). Another record was up for grabs for the youngest IPL centurion, but he was only one hit away. Even though everyone in the stadium, even the opponents, applauded him, his leisurely stroll back to the pavilion revealed his dejection.
Although the batting surface was decent, Sooryavanshi’s ball striking was outstanding. Anything on his pads was picked up over fine leg, anything full was blasted back over the bowler’s head, and the inevitable short ball was cut over third man. The quick hands were doing amazing things.
Both Cummins and others had run out of responses after Sooryavanshi smashed them for four sixes. Discussions with the leadership group following each Sooryavanshi six became a habit, despite the fact that the Australian is one of the most cunning operators on the field.
The left-hander broke Gayle’s record (59 sixes in a season) while blasting sixes at will. This season, he has cleared the fence an incredible 65 times. To put Sooryavanshi’s remarkable effort in perspective, half of his deliveries he faced went over the ropes when he reached his half-century off 16 balls. Yashasvi Jaiswal, his opening partner, finished with a contrasting run-a-ball of 29 and was merely a spectator at the other end.
The Royals faltered in the final overs despite Dhruv Jurel’s brilliant 50 off 21 balls, his sixth half-century of the year. At 180/2 in 13 overs, they were unstoppable, but SRH claimed five wickets for 36 runs over the final five overs to slow down the scoring.
Thanks to Sooryavanshi, Cummins finished with a forgettable spell of 64 runs in four overs while taking no wickets. Hinge took three wickets but gave up 54 runs in his 24 balls, while Sakib Hussain gave up 49 runs in three overs. Ten runs were conceded per over by Eshan Malinga. Wrist spinner Shivang Kumar was outstanding once more and dismissed Jaiswal.
