Rajasthan Royals' young prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was looking in fine touch in the IPL 2026 clash against Kolkata Knight Riders, which is being played at the Eden Gardens, on Sunday April 19.
Yashasvi Jaiswal's massive six off Sunil Narine
Winning the toss, RR skipper Riyan Parag opted to bat against Ajinkya Rahane-led struggling KKR, who are still searching for their first win in the tournament. In the first innings, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi smashed a massive six off Sunil Narine's ball.
In the fifth over, Sunil Narine pitched one right into Sooryavanshi's hitting arc, and the young opener launched it over deep square for a massive six, down on one knee. Though Sooryavanshi was looking in a superb touch, he was ultimately removed by mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy on a score of 46 off 28 deliveries.
Vaibhav and Yashasvi's opening foundation goes in vainย
Vaibhav and Yashasvi Jaiswal's solid opening partnership of 81 runs was not enough for a big score, as RR endured a batting collapse, reaching 155/9 at the end of 20 overs. Still, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's impactful innings overshadowed everything in the first innings, as he had a great strike rate of 164.29 with the help of six boundaries and two sixes.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's storm in IPL 2026
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi kicked off the tournament with his fiery 15 ball 52 against Chennai Super Kings in their season opener, followed with two impactful knocks of 31 and 39 against Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians respectively, before his stunning 78 off 26 balls against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Meanwhile, the 15-year-old batter failed to create an impact against Sunrisers Hyderabad, as he got dismissed on a duck.
So far in five outings, Sooryavanshi has managed to score 246 runs at an astonishing strike rate of 263.15 with the help of 24 four and 20 sixes.
ย