Rajasthan Royals' 15-year-old batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was left absolutely gutted after missing another shot to century in the ongoing IPL 2026, this time in the Qualifier 2 clash against Gujarat Titans on May 29. He fell victim to a dismissal that almost perfectly replicated his exit against Sunrisers Hyderabad's Praful Hinge in the Eliminator. This time, it was Gujarat Titans' speedster Kagiso Rabada who proved to be his undoing, cutting short another brilliant postseason innings just as the youngster seemed destined for the milestone.
Until the 17th over of the game, RR looked to be in absolute control, riding on a composed and mature display from their young opener. In sharp contrast to his usual breathless, high-speed cameos, this innings showed a different side of the 15-year-old prodigy, as he anchored the innings with a level of patience and calculation well beyond his years.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi left heartbroken after falling for 96
The uncharacteristic knock began with a sluggish start during the powerplay, where Sooryavanshi initially struggled to find his usual pristine timing against the new ball. He eventually brought up his half-century off 31 deliveries—the slowest of his explosive season. However, once he found his rhythm, the Southpaw flipped the switch with terrifying ease, plundering his next 46 runs off just 16 balls to put himself on the brink of a historic hundred.
Just as a century looked inevitable, Rabada broke the game open in his final over by banging a hard-length delivery short and wide outside the off-stump. Sooryavanshi looked to punish the ball using the signature tennis-ball slap that had brought him so much success throughout the match, but he lost his shape in the process. The mistimed shot flew straight into the hands of Prasidh Krishna, who took a clean catch at third man.
The dismissal left the young opener utterly devastated. Dejected at missing out on a consecutive tournament milestone in nearly identical fashion, an incredibly frustrated Sooryavanshi made no effort to hide his disappointment, throwing his gloves to the ground in anger as he trudged back to the dugout.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi become record machine
Sooryavanshi is proving to be one of the most extraordinary talents Indian cricket has ever witnessed at his age. The child prodigy’s effortless ability to clear the boundary, combined with a remarkably mature temperament throughout the IPL 2026 season, has quickly transformed him into a priceless asset for the Rajasthan Royals, drawing comparisons to some of the game's all-time greats.
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During his stellar knock, Sooryavanshi crossed the monumental 1,000-run milestone in his IPL career, shattering multiple long-standing records in the process. By reaching the landmark in just 23 innings, he officially became the fastest Indian ever to score 1,000 runs in the tournament's history, eclipsing the previous national record held by Sai Sudharsan, who achieved the feat in 25 innings.
Furthermore, the explosive opener became the fastest player ever in terms of balls faced to reach the four-figure mark, overtaking West Indian powerhouse Andre Russell. In the all-time global standings for the quickest to 1,000 IPL runs, Sooryavanshi now sits comfortably ahead of legendary figures like current GT batting coach Matthew Hayden, leaving him second only to Australia's Shaun Marsh.
Ferreira Blitz Blasts Royals Past 200
Following Sooryavanshi's crucial dismissal, the Gujarat Titans breathed a sigh of relief, sensing an opportunity to restrict the Royals to a manageable sub-200 total. Their plans seemed well on track after a disciplined 19th over from Prasidh Krishna kept the scoring in check and set up what looked to be a highly chaseable target.
However, Donovan Ferreira completely wrecked the Titans' death-over strategy. Knowing that a target of 200 or more has only been successfully chased twice in the history of the IPL playoffs, the South African big-hitter took matters into his own hands to push Rajasthan into a commanding position.
In a breathtaking final over, Ferreira launched a brutal assault on master spinner Rashid Khan, hammering him for four colossal sixes and plundering 27 runs in total. This late-game blitz completely altered the scoreboard dynamics, catapulting the Royals to an imposing 214. Ferreira walked off unbeaten on a spectacular 38* off just 11 deliveries, shifting the psychological advantage heavily back to Rajasthan ahead of the second innings.