IPL 2026 | 'Don't have too many options': Even Pat Cummins left clueless against 15-year-old Sooryavanshi

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s unbelievable assault in the IPL 2026 Eliminator left Sunrisers Hyderabad stunned and even SRH captain Pat Cummins admitted short of plans. The 15-year-old Rajathan Royals (RR) batter completely changed the game with a fiery 97-run innings that powered Royals to a massive playoff total of 248/3 which eventually proved 47 runs too many for SRH. Cummins openly acknowledged difficulty in stopping the youngster once he settled in, saying bowlers simply "didn’t feel like they had too many options" against him. Sooryavanshi’s fearless hitting not only shattered SRH’s bowling plans but took RR one step closer to their second IPL title.

How Sooryavanshi tore apart SRH?

The Royals teenager was in attacking mode frrom the very first over and looked determined to try and hit a six every length, refusing to allow SRH bowlers any breathing space. He hammered 12 sixes during the innings and repeatedly cleared the boundary against both pace and spin with astonishing ease. Cummins, one of the world’s premier fast bowlers, tried changing lengths, pace variations and field placements, but nothing seemed effective once the RR batter entered his rhythm.

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Speaking after the defeat, Cummins admitted SRH were left searching for answers throughout the innings. "You don’t feel like you have too many options against him when he’s striking it that cleanly," Cummins said after the match. Sooryavanshi narrowly missed out on the record of fastest hundred as he go out on 97 off 29 balls. The Royals batter, however, did suprass Gayle's record for most sixes in one IPL season. He also raced to the top of the Orange Cap leaderboard for most runs - 680 in 15 innings at an average of 45 and a strike rate of 242.

What next for Sooryavanshi and Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals will now face Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2 with a place in the IPL 2026 final at stake. After entering the playoffs with inconsistent form, RR look like serious title contenders, largely because of Sooryavanshi’s explosive batting. The teenager has now emerged as the breakout superstar of IPL 2026 and continues to dominate headlines with every performance. His fearless approach, six-hitting ability and composure under pressure have already drawn comparisons with some of the league’s biggest legends despite him being just 15 years old.