47 runs. That was the margin as Rajasthan Royals defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2026 Eliminator at Mullanpur on Wednesday, May 27. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's 97 off 29 balls powered RR to 243 for 8, and he then finished the job in the field with a diving catch at short third. The win sends Rajasthan into Qualifier 2 against Gujarat Titans on Friday, May 29, with a place in the final at stake.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi tore into the SRH attack with near relentless power, and then capped his day with the catch that sealed the result.

Sooryavanshi's assault set the tone

Sooryavanshi's innings read like a declaration. He reached fifty in 16 balls and, alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, raced the score early, putting Rajasthan firmly on the front foot. His 97 came off only 29 deliveries and featured a large number of sixes as he repeatedly took the attack to the Sunrisers bowlers. Dhruv Jurel added a brisk cameo to maintain the pressure and help RR post a demanding 243 for 8 after a late flurry of wickets prevented them from pushing even higher.

The scoreboard told the story of an innings dominated by power hitting early and mid-overs acceleration thereafter. RR lost wickets late, but at various points Sooryavanshi and Jaiswal had given the Royals the sort of platform that in T20 cricket forces the chasing side to alter any straightforward plan.

Archer strikes early, bowlers close it out

Sunrisers began the chase poorly, losing key wickets in the powerplay to Jofra Archer. Archer finished with figures of 4-0-58-3, and his scalps included Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Travis Head. Those early breakthroughs left SRH always playing catch-up despite resistance from Nitish Kumar Reddy and Salil Arora.

Nitish Kumar Reddy offered resistance and Salil Arora chipped in, but regular losses of wickets meant Sunrisers were never able to build the partnerships required to chase 243. The innings eventually folded for 196 in 19.2 overs.

Mastheads

Rajasthan's bowlers found timely breakthroughs and applied enough pressure in the middle overs to keep the scoring rate in check.

The match also produced an action-packed finish in the field. After his destructive batting display, Sooryavanshi completed the victory by taking a diving catch at short third, a moment that underlined the all-round nature of his contribution and left RR celebrating on the outfield at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur.

There were moments for Sunrisers too. They took the late wicket of Sooryavanshi in the eighth over of RR's innings. SRH's death bowling produced some expensive overs, yet those couldn't bridge the gap left by the early damage dealt by Archer and the late momentum supplied by the Royals' batters.

Riyan Parag, Rajasthan's captain, reflected on the performance during the post-match presentation. He said the win was pleasing but flagged areas to improve, notably how the side finishes an innings after a start like the one Sooryavanshi provided.

Parag's remarks underlined the Royals' split view of a satisfying win and clear work to do. The batting gave them a total that has been match-winning in this tournament, while the bowling delivered the decisive wickets. For Sunrisers Hyderabad, the failure to withstand the early onslaught and the inability to construct sustained partnerships cost them dearly.

Rajasthan will now prepare for Qualifier 2 against Gujarat Titans on Friday, May 29, with the winner advancing to the final.

Originally reported by espncricinfo.com.

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Rajasthan Royals meet Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2 on Friday, May 29, with a spot in the final on the line. Originally reported by espncricinfo.com.

This article was created with AI assistance.