Teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi smashed a breathtaking 97 off 29 balls to lead the Rajasthan Royals to a 47-run victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League eliminator on Wednesday. The win keeps Rajasthan's hopes of reaching the final alive.
Chasing a target of 244, Hyderabad faltered against a sharp Rajasthan bowling attack and were bowled out for 196 in 19.2 overs. Their season ends on a disappointing note.
Put in to bat, Sooryavanshi tore into the Hyderabad attack from the start. The 15-year-old scored a 16-ball half-century and surpassed Chris Gayle's long-standing record for most sixes in a season, now with 65 sixes.
Opening with Yashasvi Jaiswal, the pair raced to 80 without loss in the powerplay. Sooryavanshi hammered five fours and 12 sixes, but fell short of breaking Gayle's record for the fastest IPL century.
After Sooryavanshi's dismissal, Dhruv Jurel (50 off 21) and captain Riyan Parag (26 off 12) tried to elevate the innings. Hyderabad's bowlers conceded just 36 runs and took five wickets in the final five overs, but Rajasthan still posted a formidable total.
Ishan Kishan and Travis Head set the tempo for Hyderabad, but scoreboard pressure proved too much. They slumped to 71 for 4 in the powerplay. Jofra Archer led the attack with figures of 3 for 58. Ravindra Jadeja, Nandre Burger, and Sushant Mishra took two wickets each.
Rajasthan will now face Gujarat Titans in qualifier two on Friday.