Jaipur: A 14-year-old prodigy, a record-shattering century, and a merciless chase — Rajasthan Royals (RR) delivered a night to remember at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium as they steamrolled Gujarat Titans (GT) by a commanding margin.
Chasing a daunting 210, Rajasthan’s pursuit turned into a spectacle, lit up by the astonishing Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who announced himself on the big stage with a breathtaking 38-ball 101 — the second-fastest hundred in IPL history. Riyan Parag and Yashasvi Jaiswal applied the finishing touches as RR romped home with 4.5 overs to spare.
Gujarat had earlier posted what looked a defendable total, but Rajasthan's response was electric from the outset. Opening alongside Jaiswal, young Vaibhav set the tone immediately, launching Mohammed Siraj for a towering six over long-on to get off the mark. Jaiswal quickly joined the assault, hammering a 93m monster off Ishant Sharma in the second over.
The third over brought carnage for Gujarat. Vaibhav unleashed a sequence of punishing strokes against Ishant — a 91m flick over midwicket, a streaky six over third man, and a searing boundary — ransacking 28 runs off the over and leaving GT rattled.
By the fourth over, the crowd was on its feet. Vaibhav raced to a 17-ball fifty, bringing up the milestone with a majestic loft over extra cover off Washington Sundar, his dazzling strokeplay even drawing applause from his senior partner, Jaiswal.
The partnership was relentless. Jaiswal kept the runs ticking with successive boundaries off Siraj and Prasidh Krishna, raising the 100-run stand with a punchy cut. Meanwhile, Vaibhav continued to dominate, hammering Rashid Khan down the ground and heaving Prasidh over deep midwicket.
In the ninth over, Vaibhav reserved special treatment for Karim Janat, plundering four boundaries and two sixes in a whirlwind assault, including an audacious flick and a fortuitous top-edge that sailed over the keeper. Fittingly, he reached his century with a colossal six off Rashid over deep midwicket — helmet off, chubby cheeks aglow, as the stadium, and even Rahul Dravid, rose in applause.
Vaibhav’s fairytale knock ended soon after, bowled by a pinpoint yorker from Prasidh Krishna, but the damage was already done — Gujarat were left shell-shocked, and Rajasthan needed mere scraps.
Nitish Rana arrived and dispatched his first ball for four but was soon trapped lbw by Rashid, a rare moment of joy for Gujarat. Unfazed, Jaiswal calmly notched his fifty, slicing and lofting boundaries at will.
Riyan Parag, oozing confidence, took over from there, smashing Sai Kishore for a hat-trick of boundaries and sixes before sealing the victory in style — pulling a short ball from Sundar high into the Jaipur night to end GT’s misery with a soaring six.
It was utter domination — a chase so brutal that the RR dugout erupted well before the final blow was struck.
On a night when established stars faltered, a 14-year-old stood tall, crafting an innings that will be spoken of for years to come.
Earlier, Gujarat rode on a blistering 84 from Shubman Gill to post a formidable 209 for 4 after being sent in.
Opting to bowl first, Rajasthan found the going tough on a true batting surface. Gill, who struck five fours and four sixes in his 50-ball masterclass, stitched a 93-run opening stand with Sai Sudharsan (39 off 30 balls) to set a strong platform.
After Sudharsan holed out to Riyan Parag off Maheesh Theekshana in the 11th over, Gill kept the momentum alive, adding 74 runs with Jos Buttler (50* off 26 balls). Gill eventually fell to Theekshana, but Buttler’s late fireworks — laced with three fours and four sixes — powered GT past the 200-mark.
Washington Sundar (13) and Rahul Tewatia (9) fell cheaply in the final overs, but Shahrukh Khan (5*) partnered Buttler to push the score beyond 200. Extras chipped in with nine runs.
For RR, Theekshana (2/35) and Sandeep Sharma (1/33) were the pick of the bowlers, while Jofra Archer (1/49) proved expensive.
Gujarat scored 53 runs in the Powerplay and kept up a brisk scoring rate, finishing with an impressive 10.45 runs per over.
