April 25, 2026 will be remembered as one of the greatest days in IPL history. In a match that defied belief at almost every turn, Rajasthan Royals posted a mammoth 228/6 on the back of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's extraordinary 100 off just 36 balls — the fastest century in IPL history — only for Sunrisers Hyderabad to respond with a powerplay of 89/1 and an eventual chase of 229/5 in 18.3 overs to win by 5 wickets with 9 balls remaining. Both sides attacked with a ferocity rarely seen in T20 cricket, with Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan both hitting fifties off 24 balls each in a partnership for the ages. This was not just a cricket match — it was a spectacle.

Rajasthan Royals Innings: Sooryavanshi Rewrites History

From the very first delivery, it was clear this would be no ordinary evening at Sawai Mansingh Stadium. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi — the teenage prodigy who has been the talk of IPL 2026 — came out and immediately treated the SRH bowling attack with absolute contempt. The 50-run mark arrived in just 24 balls, and Sooryavanshi had personally brought up his own half-century off just 15 balls — 1 four and 7 sixes — a blazing cameo that had the Jaipur crowd on their feet before the fourth over had ended.

The first strategic timeout arrived with Rajasthan already at 76/1 in 6 overs, Sooryavanshi on 51 and Dhruv Jurel providing excellent support. The second-wicket stand between the two reached 50 in 28 balls and 100 in 57 balls — a partnership of relentless aggression that drove Rajasthan towards a historic total. Jurel brought up his own fifty off 34 balls — 8 fours and 1 six — a mature and brilliant knock that perfectly complemented Sooryavanshi's fireworks at the other end.

Then came the moment that stopped the cricketing world. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi reached his century off just 36 balls — 5 fours and 12 sixes — the fastest century in IPL history, rewriting the record books at the age of just 14. The Jaipur crowd erupted in scenes of pure joy and disbelief. Twelve sixes in a T20 century is an almost inconceivable statistic — a number that belongs in a video game, not a professional cricket match. A Rajasthan DRS batting review in over 13.5 attempted unsuccessfully to save him after he was eventually dismissed, but by then the damage was irreversible.

Rajasthan continued to bat aggressively through the death overs, eventually finishing on 228/6 — with Jadeja (4) and Jofra Archer (2) at the crease. A total of this magnitude looked unassailable on any ground in world cricket. Or so everyone thought.

Sunrisers Hyderabad Chase: Abhishek and Kishan Produce the Unthinkable

What SRH did in response was simply extraordinary. If Sooryavanshi had produced the individual innings of the tournament, SRH collectively produced the team batting performance of the season in reply. The powerplay yielded a jaw-dropping 89/1 — 89 runs in 6 overs, with boundaries coming from every delivery and extras adding to the carnage. Rajasthan's bowlers had no answers whatsoever.

Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan put on a 50-run second-wicket stand in just 19 balls and then extended it to 100 in 39 balls — a partnership of sheer, unrelenting destruction that made a 229-run chase look like a Sunday afternoon knockabout. Both batters brought up their fifties off exactly 24 balls — Abhishek with 11 fours and 1 six, Kishan with 10 fours and 1 six — in a twin display so perfectly synchronised it seemed almost choreographed.

SRH reached 100 in 6.5 overs and 150 in 10.5 overs, the required rate never climbing to a level that caused genuine concern. The second strategic timeout found SRH at 188/3 in 15 overs — Heinrich Klaasen on 14 and Nitish Kumar Reddy on 20, the chase comfortably in hand. Three DRS reviews in overs 17.2 to 17.6 — a Nitish Kumar Reddy wicket review struck down, a Rajasthan wide review upheld, and a no-ball review for Klaasen struck down — injected some late drama into the final overs, but SRH were never seriously troubled.

Klaasen and Nitish added a 50-run fourth-wicket stand in 30 balls to put the seal on proceedings, and SRH crossed the line at 229/5 in 18.3 overs — winning by 5 wickets with 9 balls remaining. A chase of 229 completed with 9 balls to spare. In T20 cricket, in any era, that is an almost unimaginable result.

Key Moments

  • Sooryavanshi's 15-ball fifty — 7 sixes — was the most explosive opening salvo of IPL 2026.
  • The 36-ball century — the fastest in IPL history — with 12 sixes will be talked about for generations.
  • Jurel's 50 off 34 balls was the perfect supporting role in a record-breaking partnership.
  • SRH's 89/1 powerplay in the chase was the most devastating six overs of batting in IPL 2026.
  • Abhishek and Kishan both hitting fifties off 24 balls each in the same innings is a statistical phenomenon that may never be repeated.
  • Chasing 229 with 9 balls to spare was the crowning achievement of SRH's extraordinary batting depth.

Sunrisers Hyderabad announce themselves as the team to beat in IPL 2026 with this historic win. Rajasthan Royals, despite Sooryavanshi's once-in-a-generation innings, suffered a defeat that few would have predicted possible even after 10 overs of their batting. On this night, both teams played cricket that transcended the ordinary — and the better side, just barely, were Sunrisers Hyderabad.