Young Sooryavanshi hits 15-ball fifty as Rajasthan thumps Chennai by eight wickets in IPL

Guwahati, India – A 15-year-old batting prodigy announced his arrival in the Indian Premier League on Monday night, as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s blistering 15-ball half-century propelled Rajasthan Royals to an eight-wicket demolition of Chennai Super Kings at the Barsapara Stadium.

Sent in on a surface kept under covers for 48 hours by unseasonal rain, Chennai never recovered from early blows dealt by Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger. The five-time champions folded for 127 in 19.4 overs, their innings salvaged only by Jamie Overton’s late 43 off 36 balls. Archer finished with 2-19, Burger 2-26, while former Chennai stalwart Ravindra Jadeja, now in Rajasthan colours, snared 2-18 in his first over to leave the Super Kings reeling at 57-6.

The chase was a coronation rather than a contest. Sooryavanshi, the youngest player in IPL 2026, was spilled by debutant Kartik Sharma at midwicket off the first ball he faced; the reprieve cost 12 runs as the teenager upper-cut Matt Henry for a boundary. From there the left-hander went berserk, carving four fours and five sixes in a 17-ball 52 that became the third-fastest fifty in tournament history. He reached the milestone with consecutive sixes off Noor Ahmad in the seventh over before holing out to Sarfaraz Khan at sweeper cover.

Yashasvi Jaiswal played the perfect foil, finishing 38 not out off 36 balls after being dropped on 26. The openers’ 74-run powerplay stand sealed the contest; Rajasthan coasted to 128-2 in 12.1 overs.

“The plan was to decide the game in the powerplay after we’d restricted them to a low score,” Sooryavanshi said. “After every ball Jaiswal doesn’t tell me to take a single—he tells me the ball’s going off the bat nicely and to keep going.”

For Chennai, the night offered little solace. Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad and new recruit Sanju Samson both made 6, undone by Archer’s express pace and Burger’s 140 kph thunderbolt respectively. Without Mahendra Singh Dhoni for the first fortnight because of a calf strain, the Super Kings’ youth movement began with a sobering lesson.

The result lifts Rajasthan to an early lead in the standings and underlines Riyan Parag’s astute call to bowl first on a helpful pitch. If Sooryavanshi’s pyrotechnics are any indication, the Royals’ reboot may be the most explosive in the league.