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Sooryavanshi’s 97 powers RR
Teenage Vaibhav Sooryavanshi smashed 97 off 29 balls as Rajasthan Royals beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 47 runs in the Indian Premier League eliminator in New Chandigarh on Wednesday.
“Vaibhav Sooryavanshi hit 97 off only 29 balls as Rajasthan Royals beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 47 runs”
Rajasthan reached 243-8 in 20 overs, with Sooryavanshi hitting 12 sixes and five fours, while Dhruv Jurel added 50 off 21 as Hyderabad were bowled out for 196 in 19.2 overs.
Jofra Archer picked up 3-58 in four overs and Nandre Burger took 2-26, helping Rajasthan secure the win and eliminate Hyderabad from the tournament.
The match set up a Qualifier 2 clash for Rajasthan against Gujarat Titans at the same venue on Friday, with the winner to face Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the final at Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Sooryavanshi also broke Jaiswal’s record for most IPL runs by an uncapped batter, moving to 680 runs in 15 innings, the current season’s highest tally.
Quotes and record talk
After the victory, Sooryavanshi told reporters that “centuries will keep happening” while the team’s focus stayed on winning the IPL trophy.
In the same post-match presentation, he said, “I do think a little, but not too much. I just try to play the game I’m in and not overthink,” describing how he weighs the bowlers and the wicket without dwelling on opposition plans.
The Guardian highlighted that Sooryavanshi’s 12 sixes powered Rajasthan’s 243-8 in Chandigarh and noted his orange-cap tally of 680 runs, while also pointing to his progress beyond Chris Gayle’s sixes record.
India legend Sunil Gavaskar praised the innings with “What an innings. What a player,” and Michael Vaughan wrote on X, “He is the best T20 opener in the world,” as calls grew for Sooryavanshi to be picked for India’s white-ball tour of England this summer.
With 65 sixes in the season, the Guardian said the left-handed opener was the “dangerman against Gujarat” ahead of the Qualifier 2 showdown.
Qualifier 2 and the stakes
Rajasthan’s eliminator win sent them into Qualifier 2 against Gujarat Titans on Friday, competing for a place in the final against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Ahmedabad on Sunday.
“Rajasthan will now take on Gujarat in Qualifier 2 at the same venue”
The Guardian said the qualifier winner would head to Ahmedabad to take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru, after Bengaluru beat Jos Buttler’s Gujarat side by 92 runs on Tuesday in Dharamshala.
ABC News reported that Hyderabad opted to bowl but ran into Sooryavanshi, who smacked 50 off 16 balls and drove Rajasthan’s powerplay to 80-0 before the innings continued to 100 in 44 balls.
The Economic Times framed the outcome as SRH being eliminated, while Rajasthan “will battle Gujarat Titans in Qualifier two on Friday for a spot in the final against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).”
With Rajasthan’s total at 243-8 and Hyderabad all out for 196 in 19.2 overs, the match also underscored the impact of Archer’s 3-58 and Burger’s 2-26 as the next stage approaches.
