Vaibhav Sooryavanshi foils SRH's Plan A, B, and C in IPL Eliminator

The SunRisers Hyderabad came armed with multiple plans for young sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the IPL Eliminator against the Rajasthan Royals. But by the end of a breathtaking powerplay assault in Mullanpur, every one of those plans had been torn apart by the 15 year old prodigy.Sooryavanshi produced one of the most destructive knocks in IPL history on Wednesday, smashing 97 runs off just 29 balls and leaving the SRH bowling attack shell shocked. Ahead of the match, SRH captain Pat Cummins had confidently stated that his side had a Plan A, B, and C ready for the teenager. None of them worked.

VAIBHAV'S KNOCK IN NUMBERSSooryavanshi brought up his fifty in just 16 deliveries, continuing a season that has now entered historic territory. The left hander hammered 12 sixes in the innings, the most by an Indian batter in a single IPL match.SRH vs RR, IPL 2026 Eliminator: UPDATES | SCORECARDIn the process, he also broke Chris Gayle's long standing record of most sixes in a single IPL season. Gayle had hit 59 maximums back in 2012, a mark that stood untouched for over a decade before Vaibhav finally went past it.The youngster looked set to script another historic feat, the fastest hundred in IPL history, but fell heartbreakingly short. On 97, he top edged a delivery from Praful Hinge to third man in the eighth over.SRH'S PLANS AGAINST VAIBHAVSRH tried three distinct methods to stop the teenager, but each one failed spectacularly.Plan A came straight from Cummins himself.

The SRH skipper began with a barrage of yorkers, attempting to deny the batter any room to free his arms. The approach worked briefly, but only for a handful of deliveries. Cummins then switched angles, coming around the wicket and targeting the top of off stump. That too backfired almost immediately as Sooryavanshi launched him for a stunning lofted drive over the infield for his first six of the innings.

Plan B involved pace and hostility. Eshan Malinga attacked the batter with short pitched bowling, hoping to rush the teenager with extra bounce and pace. Instead, Sooryavanshi's lightning fast hands took over. The left hander repeatedly pulled and hooked the ball deep into the leg side stands.A rattled SRH quickly moved to Plan C, relying on off cutters and slower balls to break his rhythm.

That strategy disappeared into the stands as well.Sooryavanshi's brutal domination in the powerplay helped Rajasthan race to 80 without loss. Out of those 80 runs, Vaibhav alone contributed 60, while Yashasvi Jaiswal managed just 19 at the other end.The carnage also pushed Sooryavanshi to another record. He finished the season with 490 powerplay runs, the highest ever recorded in IPL history, surpassing the previous mark of 467 set by David Warner in 2016.IPL 2026 | IPL Schedule | IPL Points Table | IPL Player Stats | Purple Cap | Orange Cap | IPL Videos | Cricket News | Live Score - EndsPublished By: Kingshuk KusariPublished On: May 27, 2026 20:38 IST