Brief Score: Rajasthan Royals (202/4 in 18 overs) beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru (201/8 in 20 overs) by six wickets in Guwahati. Scorecard | Highlights
It’s Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s world; the Indian Premier League is merely operating in it. The 15-year-old prodigy from Samastipur is fast making a habit of dismantling opposition attacks, ruthlessly targeting their premier bowlers and making a mockery of both numbers and norms.
In Guwahati on Friday, the Rajasthan Royals superstar plundered 78 off just 26 balls – reaching his half-century in a blistering 15 deliveries – to make light work of a 202-run chase. On a surface that remained sporting after pre-match rain, every other batter appeared a mere mortal; Vaibhav was operating on a different plane entirely.
To be fair, Dhruv Jurel did far more than simply play a supporting role. Rajasthan’s industrious wicketkeeper operated in fifth gear himself, striking an unbeaten 81 from 43 balls. It was Jurel who stood firm to navigate a minor middle-order stumble, ensuring the Royals crossed the line as early as the 18th over. Yet, the evening’s headline act remained Sooryavanshi, reigniting the inevitable discourse: How good can this boy be? How gifted is he? Is it time to fast-track him to the national side?
Earlier, RCB had recovered from a precarious 94 for 6 to post 201 for 8, courtesy of a fine rescue act from Rajat Patidar and a late cameo from Venkatesh Iyer. Iyer was deployed as an Impact Player as early as the first innings-a move that left RCB a bowler short but was perhaps a necessity to avoid a sub-par total. In hindsight, even 201 felt insufficient once Sooryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal went full tilt in the powerplay.
Vaibhav attacked from the very first delivery and refused to relent, recording his second 15-ball fifty in just four matches this season. The variety of the assault was mesmerising: bowl short and he pulled you; bowl full and he drove you; attempt a slower ball and he simply waited, depositing it deep into the stands.
While the Barsapara Stadium was awash with Virat Kohli shirts-Guwahati being the Royals’ secondary home-the crowd’s allegiance shifted the moment Vaibhav began his work. As he unfurled those jaw-dropping, audacious strokes, the spectators, much like the rest of the cricketing world, were utterly hooked.
Only days ago, he had dispatched Jasprit Bumrah for two sixes in their first encounter. On Friday, he reiterated his disdain for reputations by looting 18 runs from a single Josh Hazlewood over, propelling Rajasthan to a record powerplay total of 97.
It is one thing to take down Bumrah in a duel reminiscent of Sachin Tendulkar’s legendary assault on Abdul Qadir in Peshawar, a feat of pure, high-octane audacity. Yet, it is quite another to repeat the trick against Josh Hazlewood, a master of the powerplay who typically suffocates the world’s best with his relentless Test-match lengths and metronomic discipline.
Vaibhav proved he can dismantle the very best, and not merely through brute force. When Bhuvneshwar Kumar tested him with the moving ball, the youngster showed remarkable composure. Even against Hazlewood, whose standing he refused to respect, the assault was calculated, clinical, and quite brilliant.
Rajasthan Royals made it four in four, sitting pretty at the top of the IPL 2026 points table, while RCB’s bright start to their title defence suffered what they will hope is only a minor blip.
– Ends
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