Rajasthan Royals notched up a sensational performance with bat and ball to book their place in IPL 2026 Qualifier 2 after trampling Sunrisers Hyderabad by 47 runs in the Eliminator at the PCA New Cricket Stadium on Wednesday. Defending a total of 243, RR completely outclassed SRH, whose batting line-up suffered a massive collapse under pressure during the challenging chase.
The defeat surely ended SRH’s campaign in disappointing fashion, with SRH captain Pat Cummins remaining the most expensive bowler, conceding 64 runs from his four overs. Teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was the hero for RR, smashing one of the most explosive knocks of the season. The 15-year-old bludgeoned 97 runs off 29 deliveries, launching 12 sixes, including three in a row off SRH captain Pat Cummins. The young gun narrowly missed out on what could have been the fastest century in IPL history. Sooryavanshi stitched an excellent 125-run opening partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal, who scored 29 off 29. Dhruv Jurel in the middle played a crucial cameo with a blistering half-century off 21 balls, helping Rajasthan post 243/8 in 20 overs.
Chasing the target, Sunrisers Hyderabad endured a nightmare start after the dangerous Abhishek Sharma departed for 0, and Travis Head failed to make a major impact, managing 17 runs before being dismissed. Nitish Reddy fought hard with a fiery 38, while Salil Arora contributed 35. But it was not enough for SRH to recover from the shaky start. With no momentum, they were bowled out for 196 in 19.2 overs.