Teen sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continued his dominant performance in the Indian Premier League, smashing a 15-ball fifty to lead Rajasthan Royals to a six-wicket victory over defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Chasing a target of 202, the 15-year-old delivered a remarkable 78 runs off just 26 balls, featuring eight fours and seven sixes, propelling Rajasthan to victory with two overs to spare.
Sooryavanshi, who made his IPL debut last year, has rapidly climbed to the top of this season's run charts with 200 runs in four innings at an exceptional strike rate of 266.6. He achieved his second 15-ball fifty of the campaign, a feat previously accomplished against Chennai Super Kings.
"We just cannot believe how someone can hit like that. He is a great talent and we feel good that he is in our team," commented wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel.
After facing Jasprit Bumrah earlier, Sooryavanshi demonstrated his prowess against Australia's Josh Hazlewood, hitting three fours and a six in the initial balls he faced.
Sooryavanshi and Jurel established a rapid pace, reaching 97-1 in the powerplay. Despite a slight slowdown by spinner Krunal Pandya, which led to Rajasthan slipping from 129-1 to 134-4 with Pandya dismissing Sooryavanshi, Jurel anchored the chase with an unbeaten 81 from 43 balls.
The decisive 108-run partnership between Jurel and Sooryavanshi maintained Rajasthan's unbeaten status at the top of the table, while RCB remains in third place.