New Delhi: Rajasthan Royals stormed into Qualifier 2 of IPL 2026 with a commanding 47 run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator, powered by a sensational knock from young opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The Royals will now face Gujarat Titans on May 29 for a place in the final, where Royal Challengers Bengaluru await the winner on May 31.
Batting first after losing the toss at the Maharaja Yadavendra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Rajasthan Royals posted a formidable total of 243 for 8. The foundation was laid by the opening pair of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who added 125 runs in just 48 balls and put Hyderabad under pressure from the start.
Sooryavanshi was the star of the night. He completed his half century in only 16 balls and went on to smash 97 runs off 29 deliveries. His explosive innings included 12 sixes and 5 fours, turning the Eliminator into a power hitting spectacle. Jaiswal contributed 29 runs from 29 balls as Rajasthan lost both openers by the time the score reached 137.
After the opening burst, captain Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel kept the momentum going with a 55 run stand for the third wicket in just 21 balls. Jurel played a sharp innings of 50 from 21 balls, hitting 3 sixes and 5 fours. Donovan Ferreira and Ravindra Jadeja added 12 runs each as Rajasthan crossed the 240 mark. For Hyderabad, Praful Hinge was the most successful bowler with 3 wickets for 54 runs, while Ishan Kishan, Shivang Kumar and Nitish Reddy picked up one wicket each.
Chasing 244, Sunrisers Hyderabad suffered an early blow when Abhishek Sharma was dismissed for zero on the second ball. Ishan Kishan and Travis Head tried to rebuild with a quick 51 run partnership in just 15 balls, but the chase began to collapse once Kishan departed for 33.
Hyderabad were reduced to 81 for 5 in 6.5 overs, leaving them with too much to do. Nitish Reddy made 38, Salil Arora scored 35 and Shivang Kumar added 27, but the target remained out of reach as SRH were bowled out for 196 in 19.2 overs. Jofra Archer led Rajasthan’s bowling attack with 3 wickets, while Nandre Burger, Sushant Mishra and Ravindra Jadeja took 2 wickets each. Yash Raj also picked up one wicket.
The result keeps Rajasthan’s title hopes alive and sets up a high pressure clash against Gujarat Titans. For Sunrisers Hyderabad, the defeat ended their campaign despite a strong season, while Sooryavanshi’s innings became the defining story of the Eliminator.