Fifteen-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi tore the Royal Challengers Bengaluru bowling to shreds as he equalled his own record for the fastest fifty of this season’s IPL, powering unbeaten Rajasthan Royals to a fourth successive victory on Friday.
Sooryavanshi raced to his half-century from just 15 deliveries, hammering eight fours and seven towering sixes during his 26-ball 78.
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He also hit a 15-ball fifty in the Royals’ opener against Chennai Super Kings, “Everyone loves him and loves having him around,” said Rajasthan skipper Riyan Parag. “He is still a kid. And he loves batting.”
The teen prodigy found an able ally in Dhruv Jurel at the ACA Stadium, helping Rajasthan make light work of Bengaluru’s competitive 201-8. That score represented a huge recovery orchestrated by skipper Rajat Patidar after the defending champions slumped to 125-7 in 14 overs.
After dispatching the experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar for two fours in the first over of the chase, the left-handed Sooryavanshi laid into Josh Hazlewood, the Australian fast bowler who was playing his first game of the season.
Sooryavanshi took three fours and a six off Hazlewood’s second over, making sure Rajasthan did not suffer from the loss of Yashasvi Jaiswal, his opening partner, with 21 on the board.
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Jurel, who finished unbeaten on 81, matched Sooryavanshi stroke for stroke during a second-wicket stand of 108, which came off just 37 deliveries.
By the time he was caught at long-on off left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya, Sooryavanshi had grabbed the Orange Cap as the season’s leading run-scorer from Jaiswal.
“I just try to replicate what I do in practice and try not to do extra. I back my natural game,” said Sooryavanshi.
“I try to play the ball and not the bowler. My dad, my coaches, my guardian Romi (Bhinder, team manager of Rajasthan Royals), they keep telling me that the journey is long.
“They tell me to focus on my process and my game, without diverting my mind to different things.”
Pandya dismissed Shimron Hetmyer first ball and Hazlewood had Rajasthan skipper Riyan Parag caught at long-on, but Jurel and seasoned left-hander Ravindra Jadeja weathered the loss of three wickets for five runs in 10 deliveries with a measured fifth-wicket stand of 68.
Earlier, when play began 70 minutes late due to persistent showers, Bengaluru were rocked by the first-ball dismissal of Phil Salt, caught behind off a snorter from England teammate Jofra Archer.
Virat Kohli played several handsome strokes while making 32 off 16 until he was bowled by a googly from Ravi Bishnoi.
Bishnoi, Archer and Brijesh Sharma took two wickets apiece to peg Bengaluru back when Patidar stepped up.
The skipper was 27 off 26 deliveries when Romario Shepherd was seventh batter dismissed.
In the company of impact substitute Venkatesh Iyer, Patidar put on an exhibition of stroke-making, dominating the eighth-wicket stand of 41 before falling for 63 off 40 deliveries.
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