In the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, Rajasthan Royals defeated Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by six wickets in Match 16 at the Baraspara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Friday, thanks to a strong start from batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who smashed 78 runs off 26 balls, and a consistent 81 runs off 43 balls from wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel.
Sooryavanshi began the Rajasthan Royals’ chase with a strong attack on the bowling, easily breaking down RCB’s bowling with aggressive strokes. He began his innings against Bhuvneshwar Kumar with a powerful drive that nearly yorked him for four, and he finished it with a high stroke over cover-point.
As he targeted Hazlewood, he didn’t let up, instead slamming consecutive boundaries that demonstrated his intention to go after anything within his strike zone. Sooryavanshi maintained his ability to score even as RCB varied its lengths, displaying remarkable talent in his hitting.
Yashasvi Jaiswal (13) provided some aid at the other end of the wicket before edging a cross-seam delivery, but it had little impact on RR’s momentum. Sooryavanshi matched his previous record by quickly scoring an amazing fifty in just 15 balls.
He arrived there with consecutive sixes: one was a strong hit over long-on, while the other was a top-edge pull that cleared the boundary. RCB was left scratching their heads by his capacity to control both quick and bouncing deliveries.
Dhruv Jurel joined in, effortlessly smashing boundaries and maintaining the pressure, as the onslaught went on. Abhinandan Singh’s overs proved especially expensive for RR, who set a new Power-play record of 97/1, their greatest performance in IPL history.
They carried this momentum into the middle overs, reaching 100 in just 6. 2 overs, which was the quickest in their IPL history.
After scoring a useful 78 off 26 balls, the young left-handed batter handed it straight to Virat Kohli at deep mid-wicket as Krunl Pandya finished Sooryavanshi’s stint with a pace-up delivery. On the very next ball, Shimron Hetmyer gave Hazlewood an easy catch at short third man after Sooryavanshi.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) got off to a thrilling start when Jofra Archer caught Phil Salt off guard with a hard bouncer on the very first delivery. In a 17-ball blitz, Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal struck back with a quick 45-run stand, but Rajasthan responded with force.
Ravi Bishnoi turned the game around by taking two quick wickets, bowling Kohli and dismissing Krunal Pandya, while Archer took out Padikkal. Shimron Hetmyer’s excellent fielding made things worse for RCB. Shortly after, Jitesh Sharma also departed, leaving RCB in a difficult position at 76/5 after 8. 4 overs.
Romario Shepherd hit a quick 22 in a short counterattack before being taken out by Ravindra Jadeja. The tide turned when debutant Venkatesh Iyer teamed up with Rajat Patidar. After a cautious start, Patidar scored a quick half-century with many sixes.
But in the end, Sandeep Sharma beat him. In their 20-over allotment, a late push by Iyer (29 off 15) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar helped RCB score a respectable total of 201/8.
In the middle overs, RCB staged a brief recovery. They put the Rajasthan Royals under pressure by delivering a series of accurate deliveries that included wickets and dot balls, which helped to slow down their momentum.
By stopping boundaries and lowering the required run rate to around seven runs per over, Krunal Pandya did a good job of leading the charge. Before Ravindra Jadeja broke the drought with a fortunate inside edge to fine leg, he even brought an end to a boundary drought that lasted 24 balls.
But throughout the slowdown, Dhruv Jurel maintained composure. In 25 deliveries, he scored his half-century after setting the chase with a well-timed knock. Despite RCB’s tenacious comeback, RR maintained on course thanks to Jurel’s strong performance and wickets in hand.
Rajasthan Royals pursued 202 with two overs to spare, and Jurel ended undefeated with a fantastic 81 off 43 deliveries—his best score in T20s.
Jurel and Ravindra Jadeja maintained the innings steady with a cool 68-run partnership off 50 balls, even though there was a small blip in the middle overs, guaranteeing that there were no last-minute scares as RR secured a convincing victory.
Brief scores:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru 201/8 in 20 overs (Rajat Patidar 63, Virat Kohli 32; Ravi Bishnoi 2-32, Jofra Archer 2-33)
Rajasthan Royals 202/4 in 18 overs (Dhruv Jurel 81, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 78; Krunal Pandya 2-40, Josh Hazlewood 2-44)