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Rajasthan Royals (RR) rode on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's blitzkrieg to knock out Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) with a stunning 47-run win in the IPL 2026 Eliminator on May 27. RR will now take on Gujarat Titans in the Qualifier 2 on May 29 with the victorious team facing Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the final on May 31.
RR end RR's IPL 2026 campaign with hefty win in Eliminator
Batting first RR posted a colossal total of 243/8, thanks to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's 29-ball 97. In reply, Jofra Archer ripped through the SRH's batting line-up with a fiery three-fer as the Pat Cummins-led side were bundled out for 196.
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Jofra Archer breaks SRH's back
Chasing a monumental target of 244, Sunrisers Hyderabad's innings got off to a disastrous start as Jofra Archer struck on his very second delivery, dismissing opener Abhishek Sharma for a golden duck. Despite the early setback, Ishan Kishan immediately launched a fiery counter-attack, closing out the opening over by smashing Archer for two boundaries and a maximum. Travis Head joined the onslaught in the next over, taking a four and a six off Nandre Burger, before Kishan went after Archer once again in the third over with another explosive sequence of boundaries. However, Archer got the last laugh in their high-octane battle, breaking the rapid 51-run partnership by dismissing Kishan for an 11-ball 33.
The potent bowling duo of Burger and Archer maintained relentless pressure on the Sunrisers' top order. Burger quickly chimed in to remove Smaran Ravichandran for just one run, leaving Hyderabad stumbling at 52/3. Archer then continued his dominant spell in his next over, sending Travis Head packing for a brief 17 runs off 8 balls. By the time the powerplay concluded, SRH had crawled to 71/4, pinning their hopes on the unbeaten pair of Heinrich Klaasen and Nitish Kumar Reddy.
The middle-order recovery was cut short when Yash Raj Punja delivered a massive breakthrough, trapping the dangerous Klaasen leg-before-wicket for 18 runs off 10 balls, which left half the Hyderabad side back in the dugout for just 83 runs. Unfazed by the collapsing batting order, Nitish Kumar Reddy continued to fight valiantly, targeting Sushant Mishra and Yash Raj Punja for a flurry of boundaries to single-handedly push SRH past the 100-run mark. Salil Arora provided excellent support from the other end, taking apart Brijesh Sharma to help the duo register a swift 50-run partnership and guide the team to 132/5 at the halfway mark.
Just as the chase seemed to be regaining momentum, veteran spinner Ravindra Jadeja broke the 56-run stand by having Nitish caught at deep mid-wicket for a well-made 38. The collapse triggered once again, with skipper Pat Cummins falling cheaply to Sushant Mishra in the very next over, leaving the score at a dismal 139/7. Salil Arora tried to salvage the innings by taking the team past 150, but Jadeja struck again to dismiss him for 35, breaking another promising lower-order partnership.
The tailenders offered some brief resistance as Shivang Kumar and Eshan Malinga carried the score forward with a few elegant strokes. However, Nandre Burger put an end to their resistance by claiming his second wicket of the night, removing Malinga for 5. Sushant Mishra then wrapped up the match in the final over by dismissing Shivang Kumar for 27, courtesy of a brilliant catch by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Sunrisers Hyderabad were bundled out for 196 in 19.2 overs, handing Rajasthan Royals a comprehensive victory. Archer starred with figures of 3/58, while Burger, Mishra, and Jadeja all chipped in with two crucial wickets each.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's fury sinks SRH
Earlier, RR's 15-year-old opener Sooryavanshi delivered a breathtaking batting masterclass, smashing a sensational 29-ball 97 to power his team to a commanding total of 243/8 against SRH. Asked to bat first, Rajasthan got off to a flying start as the teenage prodigy set a fearless tone early on. In the third over, Sooryavanshi launched an explosive assault on SRH skipper Pat Cummins, plundering 23 runs to take the Royals to 45/0.
He maintained his blistering pace into the very next over, bringing up a rapid half-century off just 16 balls. This whirlwind knock helped Rajasthan race to 63/0 before comfortably finishing the powerplay at a dominant 80/0. During his stunning assault, Sooryavanshi also etched his name into the tournament history books by breaking Chris Gayle's long-standing record of 59 sixes, setting a new milestone for the most sixes hit by a single player in an IPL season.
The magical innings finally came to a heartbreaking end on the final ball of the eighth over when pacer Praful Hinge claimed the prized wicket. Sooryavanshi fell just three runs short of what would have been the fastest century in IPL history, departing for an unforgettable 97 that featured five boundaries and 12 massive sixes. Despite his dismissal, his explosive efforts left the Royals in a commanding position, cruising at 136/1 by the halfway mark.
Sunrisers Hyderabad managed another breakthrough in the 11th over when spinner Shivang Kumar dismissed a struggling Yashasvi Jaiswal for a run-a-ball 29. However, the wicket did little to slow the Royals down as they crossed the 150-run threshold by the end of the over. Wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel then took charge, smashing 17 runs off Pat Cummins in the next over to push the score to 168/2. Jurel quickly brought up his own half-century off just 20 balls in the 14th over, only to be dismissed by Praful Hinge on the very next delivery for a quickfire 50.
Rajasthan continued their aggressive approach, comfortably crossing the 200-run mark to sit comfortably at 207/3 after 15 overs. Hinge struck yet again in the 16th over to remove RR captain Riyan Parag for a brisk 12-ball 26, leaving the scoreboard at 214/4.
As the innings drew to a close, Hyderabad's bowlers managed to spark a late collapse, causing Rajasthan to lose wickets in quick succession. Donovan Ferreira (12), Dasun Shanaka (5), Jofra Archer (4), and Nandre Burger (1) all fell cheaply, while Ravindra Jadeja remained unbeaten on 12 to guide the Royals to a final total of 243/8. For the Sunrisers, Praful Hinge was the standout bowler with a crucial three-wicket haul (3/54), while Eshan Malinga, Shivang Kumar, and Nitish Reddy picked up one wicket apiece.
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