Star India and Rajasthan Royals batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi smacked a 26-ball 78 and was ably supported by wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel (81 off 43), as they took their team to their fourth consecutive win of IPL 2026.
While most 15-year-olds across the nation were awaiting their Class 10 results, Vaibhav was busy smashing a 15-ball fifty, as Rajasthan Royals chased down a 202-run target in just 18 overs.
When Jurel played a composed 81* off 43 deliveries, in the form of his IPL career, he showed elegant strokeplay throughout. Yet, when Vaibhav is in full flow, even standout efforts like his tend to be overshadowed, with others reduced to admirers of sheer brilliance on display.
Vaibhav continued to test the reputations of world-renowned international
bowlers with his exceptional bat speed and timing. He turned his attention on Friday to the returning Josh Hazlewood, producing another dominant display with the bat.
Hazlewood, a red-ball specialist, delivered a perfect ball close to the body to cramp Vaibhav for room. To his surprise, the latter opened the face of the bat and chopped it away for a four.
The next two balls were fours over mid-on and then Vaibhav fetched Hazlewood’s pace off ball from outside the off-stump to dispatch into the square leg stands.
The best shot, however, was a snap hit, where he just whipped a yorker-length ball from pacer Abhinandan Singh into the gallery, just a bit wide of long-on.
Every shot Vaibhav played left the crowd wanting more. He raced to 74 of his 78 runs in just 15 balls, all coming through fours and sixes (8 fours and 7 sixes), underlining the sheer dominance of his innings.
Even a seasoned operator like Bhuvneshwar Kumar was treated with utter disdain as Vaibhav added a blistering 108-run partnership for the second wicket in under seven overs with Jurel.
(With PTI Inputs)
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