Vaibhav Sooryavanshi struck 93 from 38 balls and smashed 10 sixes as Rajasthan Royals beat Lucknow Super Giants by reaching 225-3 in 19.1 overs, a win that lifted them into fourth place and kept their knockout hopes alive. Dhruv Jurel finished 53 not out from 38 balls to help close out one of the season’s most frantic chases.
Lucknow Super Giants had posted 220-5 in their 20 overs after Mitchell Marsh made 96 from 57 balls and Josh Inglis added 60 from 29, but it was not enough on a night when the Royals kept answering every surge with one of their own. Jofra Archer took 1-39 and ran out Rishabh Pant, a key moment in a match that swung on the smallest margins.
The result mattered because Rajasthan Royals were under pressure before the final stretch of the league stage, and the table moved in their favour after this win. One more victory, against Mumbai Indians in their final match, will seal a spot in the knockouts. Lucknow Super Giants were already out of contention, so the result did nothing for them beyond adding another high-scoring loss to a difficult campaign.
Sooryavanshi’s innings also landed on a day when India selector Ajit Agarkar addressed his omission from the one-day squad to face Afghanistan next month. Agarkar said the 15-year-old had been picked for the India A team for a Sri Lanka tour after the IPL because he is young and immensely promising, and stressed that the aim is to give emerging players exposure. He added that India were excited about what Sooryavanshi could show when he travels with the A side.
The performance only sharpened the case for the teenager. Sooryavanshi now has 53 sixes in this season’s IPL, 15 more than any other player, a figure that explains why the calls for a white-ball promotion have grown louder with every passing week. Against Lucknow, he did not just keep the Royals alive; he gave their season a shape and a chance.
For Rajasthan, the equation is now simple. Beat Mumbai Indians and the knockouts are theirs. Miss that chance, and this blistering innings from Sooryavanshi will be remembered as the night they briefly seized control without quite finishing the job.
