Sooryavanshi gets emotional as RR exit IPL 2026 in Q2 despite his sensational 96

Mullanpur (Punjab) [India], May 30 (ANI): Rajasthan Royals (RR) teen prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi got emotional following his team's exit from the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the Qualifier two despite putting on one of the greatest exhibitions of T20 batting in a tournament at just 15 years of age.

Giving an A to Sooryavanshi for his effort and the weight of expectations he carried in an inconsistent batting line-up would be an understatement. But all the batting statistics, records and individual glory did not matter to the 15-year-old as he sank his face into his Orange Cap as Gujarat Titans (GT) players celebrated after sealing the title clash against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

An intelligently calculated 96 in 47 balls, way less explosive as per his standards, were outclassed by a Shubman Gill ton in a 215-run chase.

Even when skipper Riyan Parag was speaking in the post-match presentation, Sooryavanshi was seen sitting in the dugout, barely able to hold his overwhelming emotions and was consoled by a support staff member.

On all counts, Sooryavanshi walks away with a generational campaign even if either Sai Sudharsan or Shubman Gill, a part of this season's 700-run club, outdo his run tally. With 776 runs in 16 innings at an average of 48.50 and a strike rate of 237.50, including a century, five fifties and a whopping 72 sixes, Sooryavanshi has been able to provide a mix of consistency and explosiveness unseen in world cricket before.

In the previous match, the eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), he also scored a sensational 29-ball 97, with his 12 sixes taking his tally past legendary Chris Gayle's tally of 59 sixes in IPL 2012. Having taken baby steps towards his desire of breaking the West Indies legend's records, he has also bettered his tally of runs in a single season and ended his playoffs journey with a massive 19 sixes in total.

He also completed his 1,000 IPL runs, becoming the fastest in terms of balls taken, in just 440 balls, outclassing West Indies legend Andre Russell and being the second fastest in terms of innings, having reached the milestone in just 23 innings, with Shaun Marsh (21 innings) being the quickest.

With this win, the Gujarat Titans have set up the title clash against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Ahmedabad on Sunday. After RR put to bat first, a fine knock from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (96 in 47 balls, with eight fours and seven sixes) and a cameo from Donovan Ferreira (38* in 11 balls, with two fours and four sixes) took RR to 214/6 in 20 overs.

Later in the chase of 215 runs, skipper Shubman Gill (104 in 53 balls, with 15 fours and three sixes) and his 167-run stand with Sai Sudharsan (58 in 32 balls, with eight fours and a six) set the platform for a three-wicket win.

This is the highest target chased in the IPL playoffs, outdoing the target of 204 chased by Punjab Kings (PBKS) against Mumbai Indians (MI) in last year's Qualifier two. This is also GT's highest IPL run-chase, outdoing their 204-run chase against Delhi Capitals (DC) in 2025. (ANI)