IPL 2026: RR ride the Vaibhav Sooryavanshi storm to crush LSG and tighten playoff grip

Rajasthan Royals walked into Jaipur knowing there was no room left for caution, calculators or ?what ifs?. They needed chaos, fearless hitting and a win to stay alive in the IPL 2026 playoff race.

What followed at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium was pure Vaibhav Sooryavanshi madness.

The 15-year-old once again turned a massive chase into his own personal highlight reel as Rajasthan Royals chased down 221 against Lucknow Super Giants with seven wickets in hand, riding on Sooryavanshi?s breathtaking 93 off just 38 balls. In a season where RR?s campaign has constantly swung between brilliance and disaster, the teenager once again became the difference between survival and near elimination.

Before the chase even began, though, Mitchell Marsh had looked set to completely ruin Rajasthan?s night.

The Australian all-rounder smashed a brutal 96 off 57 balls, hammering 11 fours and five sixes as LSG piled up 220 for five. Marsh now has 563 runs in 13 matches this season and has quietly become one of the most destructive batters of IPL 2026 despite Lucknow enduring a frustrating campaign overall.

Josh Inglis gave LSG the perfect launchpad earlier in the innings with a 29-ball 60 as the visitors raced to 109 inside nine overs. Rajasthan?s bowling once again struggled badly in the Powerplay, an issue that has repeatedly hurt them throughout the season.

Jofra Archer was targeted early, while Sandeep Sharma, Sushant Mishra and Brijesh Sharma consistently missed their lengths on a flat Jaipur surface. Young leg-spinner Yash Raj Punja was the only bright spot for RR with figures of 2 for 35.

Even Rishabh Pant?s 35 during a 64-run stand with Marsh never truly looked fluent. The LSG captain consumed several deliveries during the middle overs and never really managed to impose himself despite Marsh dominating from the other



end.

At 220, the game still looked heavily tilted towards Lucknow.

Then Rajasthan?s openers walked out and immediately changed the mood of the entire stadium.

Yashasvi Jaiswal looked like a man batting with a point to prove only hours after being ignored from India?s ODI squad for the Afghanistan series. The stand-in RR captain came flying out of the blocks, smashing Akash Singh for 23 runs in the opening over before taking apart Mohsin Khan for another expensive over soon after.

But the fascinating part of the Powerplay was actually happening at the other end.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, usually the most explosive batter in the first few overs, almost took a backseat initially. The teenager focused more on strike rotation and holding shape while allowing Jaiswal to dominate the scoring.

For a 15-year-old already famous for fearless hitting, that maturity stood out just as much as the sixes that followed later.

Jaiswal eventually fell for a rapid 43 to Akash Singh, who celebrated wildly despite already enduring a nightmare spell.

And that was when the Sooryavanshi storm properly arrived.

Dhruv Jurel calmly finished the chase with an unbeaten 53 as Rajasthan completed the chase with five balls remaining and kept their playoff hopes alive.

The victory also completely reshaped the playoff race.

Rajasthan Royals jumped above Punjab Kings in the standings, while PBKS slipped out of the top four for the first time this season despite still remaining mathematically alive.

RR now head into their final league game knowing qualification is still possible if results fall their way.

For Lucknow, meanwhile, Marsh?s brilliance ultimately ended up wasted on another frustrating night.