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Pat Cummins heaped praise on teenage star Vaibhav Sooryavanshi after Rajasthan Royals knocked Sunrisers Hyderabad out of IPL 2026 with a dominant Eliminator victory. The RR youngster smashed a sensational 97 and completely changed the momentum of the game with his fearless batting approach. Cummins admitted SRH failed to control the contest because Sooryavanshi capitalised on every small mistake made by the bowlers.
Rajasthan eventually sealed a comfortable 47-run win to book their place in Qualifier 2 against Gujarat Titans. Meanwhile, Sunrisers Hyderabad’s IPL 2026 campaign came to an end despite entering the playoffs with strong momentum after back-to-back wins in the league stage.
SRH Captain Cummins Showers Plaudits On Young Sooryavanshi
Speaking after the match, Cummins acknowledged Sooryavanshi’s impact at the top of the order and praised his composure under pressure.
“Vaibhav Sooryavanshi played pretty well. Yeah, you feel like you don’t have too many options. Obviously, it’s a really good pitch, but the margins are so small. If you miss your yorker by a little bit, he doesn’t tend to miss them. So yeah, fair play,” Cummins said.
Pat Cummins Backs His SRH Team After IPL Exit
Cummins added that SRH had no regrets over their decision to chase, despite Rajasthan posting a daunting 243/8.
“Not really. It was a pretty good wicket even there at the end,” he said.
Reflecting on the chase, the SRH skipper admitted that while the target was always challenging, his side felt they were still in the contest at the halfway stage.
“I think a few things still need to go right to chase down 240, but if there was ever going to be a pitch and a field to do it, it was this one. We stayed on the rate for most of the innings. We just kind of lost probably a couple too many wickets at the wrong time,” Cummins said.
Despite the loss, Cummins praised his team’s campaign and the emergence of young talent throughout the season.
“I think we end up as a really well-rounded team. Praful and Sakib were awesome. Young guys haven’t played a lot. I think we’re one of the youngest teams to make the playoffs, which shows the talent the coaching group has unearthed,” he said.
He also reflected positively on SRH’s overall season, noting that they remained competitive throughout the tournament.
“Two playoffs in three years… the boys have been fantastic, their attitude all year. It looks like they’ve really enjoyed their cricket,” he added.
What Happened In SRH vs RR IPL 2026 Eliminator?
Batting first, RR posted a massive 243/8, powered by a sensational 29-ball 97 from 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
The 15-year-old tore into the SRH attack with 12 sixes and five fours, setting the tone with a rapid half-century and continuing his assault before falling just three runs short of what would have been a record IPL century.
Dhruv Jurel also contributed a quickfire 50, helping RR maintain their explosive momentum throughout the innings.
In reply, SRH suffered an early collapse, losing four wickets inside the powerplay despite a brief counterattack from Ishan Kishan. Although Nitish Kumar Reddy and Salil Arora tried to rebuild with a fighting stand, the chase never fully recovered.
Jofra Archer (3/58) and Nandre Burger (2/26) led RR’s bowling attack, consistently striking at key moments to keep SRH under pressure.
SRH were eventually bowled out for 196 in 19.2 overs, handing Rajasthan a convincing win and ending Hyderabad’s campaign in the tournament.
(With Inputs from ANI)
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