Vaibhav Sooryavanshi looked visibly heartbroken after falling just three runs short of a sensational century.
Rajasthan Royals youngster Vaibhav Sooryavanshi produced one of the most destructive knocks of IPL 2026 before walking back heartbroken after narrowly missing out on a sensational century against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator clash at New Chandigarh.
The 15-year-old batting prodigy lit up the playoff encounter with a breathtaking 97 off just 29 balls, smashing five fours and an unbelievable 12 sixes at a staggering strike rate of 334.48. However, the magical innings ended in disappointment when he fell just three runs short of what would have been one of the fastest centuries in IPL history.
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Sooryavanshi had completely dismantled the SRH bowling attack from the very beginning. He attacked Pat Cummins fearlessly and even hammered the Australian captain for three consecutive sixes in a single over earlier in the innings. The left-hander looked unstoppable as Rajasthan Royals raced to 80 without loss inside the powerplay.
The youngster brought up his fifty in only 16 deliveries, continuing his remarkable form throughout IPL 2026. He also crossed the 600-run mark for the season during the innings, further underlining his extraordinary breakout campaign.
Sooryavanshi Heartbroken After Carnage
At one stage, a century looked inevitable as Sooryavanshi dominated every SRH bowler with fearless strokeplay. His opening partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal yielded 125 runs in just 7.6 overs and completely shifted the pressure onto Hyderabad in the knockout encounter.
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But just when the crowd was preparing for a historic hundred, Praful Hinge finally ended the carnage. Sooryavanshi attempted another attacking shot but was caught by Ravichandran Smaran on 97. The moment immediately stunned the stadium as the teenager looked visibly emotional while walking back to the pavilion.
Cameras captured the heartbreaking reaction from the youngster, who appeared devastated after missing a memorable century by the narrowest of margins. Despite the disappointment, the crowd rose to applaud the extraordinary innings that had already placed RR in complete control of the contest.
By the time he departed, Rajasthan Royals had stormed to 125/1 in only eight overs. Dhruv Jurel then continued the momentum with a rapid half-century, while skipper Riyan Parag also chipped in aggressively as RR crossed 200 runs inside 15 overs.
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