Rajasthan Royals (RR) crushed Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by 47 runs in the 72nd match (Eliminator) of IPL 2026 at Tira in New Chandigarh. After being invited to bat first, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi straightaway tore apart the Sunrisers Hyderabad bowling attack. Sooryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal added 125 runs for the first wicket in just 8 overs before Praful Hinge dismissed him.
After the dismissals of Sooryavanshi and Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel took charge and added a blazing-fast 55 runs for the third wicket with Riyan Parag. Jurel scored 50 runs off just 21 balls. However, Rajasthan Royals lost momentum in the final overs. They lost five wickets in the last 28 balls and scored only 36 runs in the final five overs. In the end, Rajasthan Royals posted 243/8 in 20 overs.
Praful Hinge (3/54 in 4 overs) was the most successful bowler for Sunrisers Hyderabad, while Eshan Malinga, Shivang Kumar, and Nitish Kumar Reddy took one wicket each.
While chasing, Jofra Archer (3/58 in 4 overs) dismissed Abhishek Sharma on the second ball of the innings. Ishan Kishan and Travis Head launched a counterattack and added 51 runs in the next 15 balls before Archer dismissed Kishan. Sunrisers Hyderabad then lost a few quick wickets and struggling at 81/5 after 6.5 overs. Nitish Kumar Reddy and Salil Arora offered brief resistance and added 56 runs for the sixth wicket. In the end, Sunrisers Hyderabad were bowled out for 196 with four balls remaining. Ravindra Jadeja, Sushant Mishra, and Nandre Burger took two wickets each and finished things off for Rajasthan Royals.
With this win, Rajasthan Royals eliminated Sunrisers Hyderabad and advanced to Qualifier 2, where they will face Gujarat Titans on May 29.
Sooryavanshi Tears Apart SRH Bowling
SRH entered the game with different plans to stop the teenage batter. Pat Cummins and Eshan Malinga tried bowling full and straight during the powerplay to stop him from hitting aerial shots. They also placed fielders in front of square on the leg side and occasionally used short balls to surprise him.
However, Sooryavanshi punished even the smallest mistakes. He launched full deliveries over the boundary with ease and smashed short balls behind square on the leg side. As SRH kept changing tactics, the young batter continued attacking fearlessly. He especially impressed with his clean drives over mid-off and extra cover against slower deliveries.
Interestingly, SRH rarely tested him with a traditional good-length line, possibly because of the flat batting pitch in New Chandigarh.
Jurel Keeps RR Moving Forward
While Sooryavanshi dominated headlines, Dhruv Jurel also played a crucial role in RR’s massive total. Yashasvi Jaiswal struggled to keep pace with his opening partner. Both batters faced the same number of balls, but Jaiswal managed only 29 runs while Sooryavanshi blasted 97.
After Jaiswal’s dismissal, RR briefly lost momentum. However, Jurel steadied the innings with a rapid 50 off just 21 balls. His knock included innovative strokes like a scoop over short fine leg against Cummins and an uppercut six off Praful Hinge. Jurel reached his half-century in only 20 balls.
RR looked set to cross 250 at one stage. However, the innings collapsed late as they lost wickets quickly in the final overs. The team managed only 36 runs in the last five overs and lost five wickets during that phase. Run-outs of Donovan Ferreira and Nandre Burger further hurt the innings. Eventually, RR finished slightly below expectations but still posted a huge total that proved more than enough.
Archer Destroys SRH Top Order
Jofra Archer once again delivered a match-winning spell for RR with the new ball. After helping RR qualify for the playoffs with his performance against Mumbai Indians earlier, Archer struck early again in the Eliminator.
He removed Abhishek Sharma with a sharp short ball in the opening over. However, Ishan Kishan and Travis Head immediately counterattacked and smashed boundaries from both ends.
SRH raced to fifty inside three overs and briefly looked dangerous. But Archer changed the game again. He dismissed Kishan after the batter mistimed a powerful shot to cover. Soon after, he bowled Travis Head with a fast full delivery that crashed into the stumps. Burger also contributed by dismissing R Smaran with a hard-length delivery.
SRH Fight Back Briefly
Despite early setbacks, SRH continued attacking because defeat meant elimination from the tournament. Heinrich Klaasen played an entertaining cameo with two fours and a stunning six over covers. However, leg-spinner Yash Raj Punja trapped him lbw while attempting a reverse sweep.
Later, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Salil Arora added a quick half-century partnership in only 19 balls and briefly revived SRH’s hopes. SRH reached 132 for 5 at the halfway stage of the chase, but RR knew the required run rate would force more mistakes.
Ravindra Jadeja eventually ended the resistance by dismissing Nitish Kumar Reddy in the 11th over. From there, RR maintained control and sealed a comfortable 47-run victory to move one step closer to the IPL title.