Sooryavanshi now has 680 runs in 15 games in IPL 2026, with a strike rate of 242.85.
Rajasthan Royals (RR) advanced to the IPL 2026 Qualifier 2 after defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Eliminator on May 27, 2026. SRH captain Pat Cummins won the toss and decided to bowl first.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi smashed 97 in 29 balls, with 12 sixes and five fours. Dhruv Jurel scored 50 in 21 balls, Riyan Parag 26 and Yashasvi Jaiswal 29 runs as RR finished with 243/8 in 20 overs.
In response, Jofra Archer took three wickets and, alongside Nandre Burger, shook the SRH top order. Only Ishan Kishan (33), Nitish Kumar Reddy (38), and Salil Arora (35) provided some resistance as SRH were bowled out for 196 and lost by 47 runs.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was named the Player of the Match, as RR will now face Gujarat Titans on May 29 in the Qualifier 2.
After the match, Sooryavanshi had a chat with the official broadcasters and reveals that he tries to play the game he is in and not overthink how he’ll go about his job.
“I do think a little bit, but not too much. I just try to play the game I’m in and not overthink. But if I feel there’s something I need to work on, then I look at that,” Sooryavanshi stated during the post-match presentation.
“When we win, we just take the positive intent forward and move on to the next match. And we will try to win the next match in the same way and reach the finals,” he added.
Sooryavanshi gave a sneak peek into his preparation as well.
“I just think about who the bowlers are in the opposition team, how I can face them on this wicket, how big the boundaries are, just these kinds of things. I just try to stay positive with my intent. When I do that, the bowlers stay under pressure. So, I try to continue that and dominate the game,” he added.
Sooryavanshi also revealed that he didn’t knew he was on verge of breaking Chris Gayle’s record for fastest IPL century in 30 balls, and only got to know about it when he was dismissed.
“I found out only after I got out. At that time, my only focus was to contribute as much as I could because centuries will keep happening, but right now the focus is on how to win the trophy. If I feel I’m having trouble somewhere, I work on that. I don’t think about what the opposition is planning, that’s their plan. I focus on what my plan is, and I just try to play normal cricket,” Sooryavanshi signed out.
(ANI inputs)