Rajasthan Royals (RR), who are locking horns with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 Eliminator, have wreaked complete havoc at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh.
Young opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi produced one of the most destructive playoff knocks in IPL history as he blasted 97 runs off just 29 deliveries, smashing five boundaries and a staggering 12 sixes.
The fearless innings completely dismantled the SRH bowling attack and gave Rajasthan Royals a dream start as they pushed towards a gigantic total in the knockout clash.
RR break legendary CSK playoff record during explosive batting show
During the unbelievable batting carnage, RR raced to 136 runs inside the first 10 overs. The score became the highest-ever total posted in the first 10 overs of an IPL knockout or playoff innings.
RR broke the previous record of 122 runs set by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) against Punjab Kings (PBKS) during Qualifier 2 of IPL 2014.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s brutal hitting laid the foundation for the historic feat before he narrowly missed out on a sensational century.
After Sooryavanshi’s dismissal, Dhruv Jurel continued the momentum with a blazing 50 off just 21 balls. Captain Riyan Parag also played a quickfire cameo of 26 off 12 deliveries.
At the time of writing, Donovan Ferreira was unbeaten on 13 off 9 balls, while Ravindra Jadeja was batting on 11 off 7 deliveries. RR had reached a mammoth 233/5 after 18 overs and were still looking capable of posting an even bigger total.
RR eye Qualifier 2 spot but massive challenge still awaits
If Rajasthan Royals manage to defend the huge target, they will book a place in Qualifier 2 against Gujarat Titans.
However, despite posting a gigantic score, RR still face a major challenge against one of the most explosive batting lineups of IPL 2026.
Sunrisers Hyderabad’s top order featuring Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Aiden Markram and Ishan Kishan has been in devastating form throughout the tournament.
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The quartet has consistently destroyed bowling attacks this season and remains fully capable of pulling off a record chase.
RR bowlers will now need to deliver under immense pressure if they want to stop SRH’s powerful batting unit and keep their IPL 2026 title hopes alive.