Guwahati: Rajasthan Royals defeated Royal Challengers Bengaluru by six wickets in a high-scoring encounter on Friday. Chasing 202, Rajasthan reached 202/4 in just 18 overs after RCB had posted 201/8 in their 20 overs. With this win, Rajasthan registered their fourth consecutive victory and strengthened their position at the top of the points table with eight points.
On the other hand, defending champions RCB suffered their first defeat of the season. Notably, Bengaluru became only the second team after Punjab in IPL history to lose seven times while defending a 200-plus total.
Vaibhav’s Seven Sixes, Eight Fours
Fifteen-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi once again lit up the IPL stage with a sensational knock of 78 runs off just 26 balls, smashing seven sixes and eight fours. Interestingly, the entire RCB team managed only seven sixes, equalled single-handedly by Suryavanshi.
However, equal credit for Rajasthan’s victory goes to wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel, who remained unbeaten on 81 off 43 balls, hitting three sixes and eight fours.
108-Run Stand in Just 37 Balls
Suryavanshi and Jurel stitched together a match-defining 108-run partnership for the second wicket in just 37 balls. Of those, 70 runs came from Suryavanshi, while Jurel contributed 38.
Krunal Denies Vaibhav a Record
At one stage, Suryavanshi looked set to break his own IPL record of the fastest century in 35 balls. However, Krunal Pandya dismissed him, preventing the milestone.
Another Record for Vaibhav
Suryavanshi brought up his half-century in just 15 balls, including four sixes and seven fours. He is now the only player in IPL history to score three half-centuries in fewer than 18 balls.
In T20 cricket, he also became only the second batter to register three half-centuries with a strike rate above 300. Kieron Pollard leads this elite list with four such fifties.
Hetmyer Falls for Golden Duck
Rajasthan had a shaky start, losing Yashasvi Jaiswal (13) early. Shimron Hetmyer was dismissed for a golden duck, while captain Riyan Parag managed just three runs.
Despite this, Suryavanshi dominated the innings before being caught by Virat Kohli off Krunal Pandya after taking the score to 129. The responsibility was then carried forward by Dhruv Jurel and Ravindra Jadeja (24* off 25 balls), who shared an unbeaten 68-run stand to seal the win.
Two Wickets Each for Hazlewood and Krunal
Josh Hazlewood and Krunal Pandya picked up two wickets each for Bengaluru, while the other bowlers went wicketless.
Patidar Lone Fighter for RCB
Earlier, the match started after a delay of over an hour due to rain. Batting first, RCB managed 201/8, largely powered by captain Rajat Patidar’s 63 off 40 balls, which included four sixes and four fours.
Virat Kohli contributed 32 runs, while Venkatesh Iyer remained unbeaten on 29.
For Rajasthan, Jofra Archer, Ravi Bishnoi, and Brijesh Sharma claimed two wickets each, while Ravindra Jadeja and Sandeep Sharma picked up one apiece.
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