Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s 97 Off 29 Balls, 10 Records Broken as RR Hammer SRH by 47 Runs to Enter Qualifier 2
15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi shattered Chris Gayle’s 14‑year‑old record with 12 sixes in a breathtaking 97 off 29 balls as Rajasthan Royals crushed Sunrisers Hyderabad by 47 runs in the IPL 2026 Eliminator. Dhruv Jurel (50 off 21) and a three‑wicket haul from Jofra Archer (3/58) sealed the 47‑run victory. Sooryavanshi now holds the record for most sixes in a single IPL season (65), the fastest IPL playoff fifty (16 balls), and the most runs by an uncapped batter (680). RR will now face Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi walks off to a standing ovation after his breathtaking 97 off 29 balls — the knock that rewrote IPL record books. (Photo: Sportzpics / BCCI / IPL)
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi: The 29‑Ball Masterclass That Broke Gayle’s 14‑Year Record
When Pat Cummins won the toss and opted to bowl first on a pristine batting strip at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh, nobody predicted that within eight overs the contest would effectively be over. But 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had other plans. What followed was one of the most astonishing displays of power-hitting ever seen in an IPL knockout match.
Sooryavanshi smashed 97 runs off just 29 balls, at a staggering strike rate of 334.48, with 5 fours and 12 monstrous sixes. He reached his fifty in just 16 balls — the fastest half-century in IPL playoff history, equalling Suresh Raina’s 2014 record. He then raced towards a century, but fell agonisingly short of Chris Gayle’s record for the fastest IPL hundred (30 balls).
But what he did achieve was even more historic. With his 12th six of the innings — his 65th of the season — Sooryavanshi broke Chris Gayle’s 14‑year‑old record for the most sixes in a single IPL season. Gayle had hit 59 sixes in 2012. Sooryavanshi now sits alone at the top with 65.
💥 THE ONSLAUGHT
Over 3 (Cummins): 4, 6, 6, 6 — 23 runs off the over.
Over 4 (Sakib Hussain): 6, 6, 6 — three consecutive maximums.
Powerplay: RR 80/0 — their highest powerplay score in any playoff match.
Sooryavanshi’s 16-ball fifty: Fastest fifty in IPL playoff history.
Wicket: Caught at deep third man for 97 off 29 balls.
Rajasthan Royals Innings — 243/8: Jurel’s Fifty & Hinge’s Three Wickets
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vaibhav Sooryavanshi ★ | c Smaran b Hinge | 97 | 29 | 5 | 12 | 334.48 |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | c Abhishek b Shivang | 29 | 29 | 4 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Dhruv Jurel (wk) ★ | c Nitish Reddy b Hinge | 50 | 21 | 5 | 3 | 238.09 |
| Riyan Parag (c) | c sub b Hinge | 26 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 216.67 |
| Donovan Ferreira | run out | 12 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 150.00 |
| Dasun Shanaka | c Hinge b Nitish Reddy | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 166.67 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | not out | 12 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 133.33 |
| Jofra Archer | c sub b Malinga | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 80.00 |
| Nandre Burger | run out | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Shubham Dubey | not out | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
Extras: 5 (w 3, nb 1, lb 1). FOW: 1‑125 (Sooryavanshi, 7.6 ov), 2‑137 (Jaiswal, 10.2 ov), 3‑192 (Jurel, 13.5 ov), 4‑214 (Parag, 15.2 ov), 5‑220 (Ferreira, 16.1 ov), 6‑227 (Shanaka, 16.5 ov), 7‑238 (Archer, 18.4 ov), 8‑240 (Burger, 19.2 ov). Powerplay: 80/0. Source: ESPNcricinfo, IPLT20.
| Bowler | O | R | W | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Praful Hinge | 4 | 54 | 3 | 13.50 |
| Shivang Kumar | 3 | 19 | 1 | 6.33 |
| Nitish Kumar Reddy | 2 | 12 | 1 | 6.00 |
| Pat Cummins (c) | 4 | 64 | 0 | 16.00 |
| Sakib Hussain | 4 | 52 | 0 | 13.00 |
| Eshan Malinga | 3 | 40 | 1 | 13.33 |
SRH Chase — 196 All Out: Archer’s Early Strikes End Hyderabad’s Hopes
Chasing 244, SRH needed a powerplay of historic proportions. Instead, they lost Abhishek Sharma to the second ball of the innings — a fiery delivery from Jofra Archer that took the outside edge. Ishan Kishan counter‑attacked with 33 off 11 balls, but Archer returned to castle him, and then removed Travis Head for 17 with a 150.4 km/h thunderbolt that bowled him through the gate. SRH were 57/4 after 4.4 overs, and the chase was effectively over.
Nitish Kumar Reddy (38 off 20) and Salil Arora (35) added a defiant 56‑run stand, but Ravindra Jadeja’s smart bowling broke the partnership. Nandre Burger (2/26) and Archer (3/58) combined with two wickets each from Burger and Ravindra Jadeja (2 wickets) to bowl SRH out for 196 in 19.2 overs.
| Batter | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abhishek Sharma | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Ishan Kishan | 33 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 300.00 |
| Travis Head | 17 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 188.89 |
| Smaran Ravichandran | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Heinrich Klaasen (wk) | 6 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 85.71 |
| Salil Arora | 35 | 24 | 2 | 2 | 145.83 |
| Nitish Kumar Reddy | 38 | 20 | 3 | 3 | 190.00 |
| Pat Cummins (c) | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 140.00 |
| Shivang Kumar | 27 | 21 | 2 | 2 | 128.57 |
| Praful Hinge | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Eshan Malinga | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 66.67 |
Extras: 30 (lb 2, w 28). FOW: 0/1 (Abhishek, 0.2 ov), 54/2 (Kishan, 3.3 ov), 54/3 (Head, 3.5 ov), 57/4 (Smaran, 4.4 ov), 92/5 (Klaasen, 7.3 ov), 148/6 (Nitish Reddy, 12.2 ov), 156/7 (Cummins, 13.1 ov), 165/8 (Arora, 15.1 ov), 185/9 (Hinge, 17.4 ov), 196/10 (Shivang, 19.2 ov). Powerplay: 59/3. Target: 244.
Records Shattered — The Night History Was Rewritten in New Chandigarh
📜 Full List of Records Broken by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
- Most sixes in a single IPL season: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi — 65 sixes (surpassed Chris Gayle’s 59 in 2012)
- Fastest fifty in IPL playoff history: 16 balls (joint with Suresh Raina, 2014)
- Most sixes in an IPL playoff innings: 12 sixes (broke Shubman Gill’s 10 sixes in 2023)
- Highest strike rate in an IPL playoff innings (min. 50 runs): 334.48
- Most runs by an uncapped batter in an IPL season: 680 runs
- Most runs in the powerplay in an IPL season: 490 runs (surpassed David Warner’s 467 in 2016)
- Most sixes in the powerplay in an IPL match: 8 sixes
- First batter to hit 60+ sixes in an IPL season
- Most instances of 10+ sixes in an IPL innings: 4 (tied with Chris Gayle)
- Second-highest total in IPL playoff history: RR 243/8 (behind RCB’s 254/5 in Qualifier 1, 2026)
- RR’s highest powerplay score in playoffs: 80/0
- Most sixes in a single IPL season (team): RR — 152 sixes (new record)
‘He Is the Best T20 Opener in the World’ – Cricket Fraternity Reacts
The cricketing world erupted in awe as Sooryavanshi’s innings unfolded on the big stage. From Sunil Gavaskar’s commentary to Michael Vaughan’s bold claims, here are the most notable reactions on X:
What They Said – Post‑Match Quotes
The Road Ahead – RR to Face GT in Qualifier 2, Winner to Take on RCB in Final
With this emphatic 47‑run victory, Rajasthan Royals have advanced to Qualifier 2 of IPL 2026. They will now face Gujarat Titans at the same venue — the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh — on May 29, Friday. The winner will progress to the IPL 2026 final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on May 31 in Ahmedabad.
GT are coming off a heavy 92‑run defeat to RCB in Qualifier 1, but remain a formidable opponent with match-winners like Jos Buttler, Shubman Gill, and Rashid Khan. For RR, the momentum is on their side after two consecutive wins, including this record‑breaking Eliminator victory. The stage is set for a blockbuster Qualifier 2.
Meanwhile, Sunrisers Hyderabad’s IPL 2026 campaign ends with this loss. Despite a strong league phase where they finished third with 12 wins, Pat Cummins and his men fell short when it mattered most. They will look to regroup and come back stronger next season.
🔴 QUALIFIER 2 – NEW CHANDIGARH
May 29, 2026 (Friday), 7:30 PM IST
Rajasthan Royals vs Gujarat Titans | Winner to face RCB in final | Loser eliminated
