Vice-captain Ishan Kishan played a brilliant knock of 74 runs as Sunrisers Hyderabad chased down 229 runs target in 18.3 overs and registered a dominant five-wicket win against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the 36th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Saturday.

 

Earlier, 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi smashed a brilliant century, followed by a half-century by Dhruv Jurel as the Rajasthan Royals posted 228/6 in 20 overs.

Chasing a massive target, Sunrisers Hyderabad had a shaky start as opener Travis Head was dismissed in the first over. He failed to make use of an early chance after being dropped by Dhruv Jurel off the first ball of Jofra Archer’s over, and scored just six off five balls.

However, the pressure didn’t last long as Nandre Burger’s next over released it, conceding 10 runs with a wide and a boundary. SRH vice-captain Ishan Kishan then counterattacked brilliantly, taking on Archer with three boundaries in the third over. Abhishek Sharma joined the charge, hitting three fours off Burger in the following over.

Abhishek also got a lifeline in the fifth over when Ravindra Jadeja dropped a simple catch. Kishan made full use of the momentum, smashing 19 runs in the final over of the powerplay as SRH raced to 89 runs in six overs.

Both batters brought up their fifties quickly, Abhishek off 24 balls and Kishan off 25,putting RR bowlers under immense pressure. Their 132-run partnership was finally broken on the last ball of the 10th over when Archer took a fine catch to dismiss Abhishek for 57 off 29 balls.

Kishan continued his aggressive batting alongside Heinrich Klaasen, keeping SRH firmly in control. He eventually fell for a match-winning 74 off 31 balls, edging a short ball from Archer.

After his dismissal, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Klaasen steadied the chase with smart running. Klaasen later hit a big six in the 17th over, with Nitish also clearing the ropes. Nitish scored 36 off 18 before getting out, while Klaasen made 29 off 24.

Salil Arora sealed the chase with a six as SRH reached the target with nine balls to spare.

Rajasthan Royals made a blazing start after being asked to bat first, led by young opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who dominated from the outset. He smashed four sixes in the opening over off Praful Hinge, collecting 25 runs and setting the tone. The momentum continued as Sooryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal hit a six each off Pat Cummins in the next over.

Sunrisers Hyderabad got an early breakthrough when Eshan Malinga dismissed Jaiswal for 10, but RR kept up the scoring rate. Sooryavanshi brought up a rapid half-century in just 15 balls as RR reached 73/1 at the end of the powerplay.

He then built a strong partnership with Dhruv Jurel, who played a composed yet impactful knock. Jurel accelerated in the middle overs, including a 101-metre six, and reached his fifty before falling to Nitish Kumar Reddy for 51 off 25 balls.

Sooryavanshi continued his aggressive approach and raced to a stunning century in just 36 balls, eventually scoring 103 off 37 deliveries before being dismissed. RR lost Riyan Parag cheaply, but Donovan Ferreira’s quick 33 off 16 balls ensured a strong finish, with Shimron Hetmyer adding 11 runs.

For SRH, Malinga picked up 2/38, while Cummins, Hinge, Sakib Hussain and Nitish Kumar Reddy took one wicket each.

Brief Scores: Rajasthan Royals 228/6 in 20 overs (Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 103, Dhruv Jurel 51; Donovan Ferreira 33; Eshan Malinga 2-38, Nitish Kumar Reddy 1-20) lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad 229 in 18.3 overs (Ishan Kishan 74, Abhishek Sharma 57; Jofra Archer 2-34, Brijesh Sharma 2-44) by five wickets.