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Rajasthan Royals (RR) wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel etched his name into the franchise's record books after a fine half-century against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL 2026 Eliminator on Wednesday.
Jurel's fluent knock during the high-pressure knockout clash helped him surpass the 500-run mark in a single IPL season from No. 3 or lower order. With this, the keeper-batter became only the third Royals batter to achieve the feat in an IPL edition, joining Riyan Parag, who scored 573 runs in 2024, and Sanju Samson, who accumulated 531 runs in the same season. Jurel now stands at 508 runs in 2026*. The innings also saw Jurel enter another exclusive list, recording six 50-plus scores in the ongoing season, placing him among RR's most consistent performers in a single IPL campaign. He now joins a select group in franchise history for most 50-plus scores in an IPL season, alongside Jos Buttler (8 in 2022), Yashasvi Jaiswal (6 in 2023 and 6 in 2025), and his own tally of 6 in 2026*. Coming to the contest, the Royals produced a dominant batting display to post a massive 243/8 in their IPL 2026 Eliminator against Hyderabad, largely powered by a sensational innings from 15-year-old opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Asked to bat first, Rajasthan got off to a flying start as Sooryavanshi immediately took control of the powerplay with fearless and aggressive strokeplay. He launched SRH skipper Pat Cummins for 23 runs in the third over, helping RR race to 45/0. The young opener continued his assault in the next over, bringing up a blistering half-century off just 16 balls as Rajasthan surged to 63/0, eventually finishing the powerplay at a commanding 80/0. Sooryavanshi's extraordinary hitting saw him dominate the SRH bowling attack with remarkable consistency. During his stay, he also created history by breaking the record for the most sixes in a single IPL season, surpassing Chris Gayle's previous tally of 59 sixes. The teenager continued to accelerate at a breathtaking pace before falling in the eighth over to Praful Hinge. Sooryavanshi was dismissed for a stunning 29-ball 97, which included five fours and 12 towering sixes. He missed out on what would have been the fastest century in IPL history by just three runs, but his innings had already placed Rajasthan in a commanding position at 136/1 at the halfway stage. After his dismissal, RR maintained momentum despite losing wickets at regular intervals. Yashasvi Jaiswal struggled to find rhythm and was dismissed for a run-a-ball 29 by spinner Shivang Kumar in the 11th over, although Rajasthan still crossed the 150-run mark soon after. Wicketkeeper-batter Jurel then injected fresh momentum into the innings with a blistering counterattack against SRH skipper Pat Cummins. J urel smashed 17 runs in an over and went on to bring up a rapid half-century off just 20 balls in the 14th over. However, he fell immediately after reaching the milestone, dismissed by Praful Hinge for a 21-ball 50 that included five fours and three sixes. Rajasthan continued to maintain a strong scoring rate, reaching the 200-run mark in the 15th over and moving to 207/3. However, SRH struck back through Praful Hinge, who removed skipper Riyan Parag for a quick 12-ball 26 featuring two fours and two sixes. In the closing stages, RR suffered a cluster of wickets as Donovan Ferreira (12), Dasun Shanaka (5), Jofra Archer (4), and Nandre Burger (1) fell cheaply. Ravindra Jadeja remained unbeaten on 12* as Rajasthan closed their innings at a formidable 243/8. For Hyderabad, Praful Hinge was the standout bowler with figures of 3/54, while Eshan Malinga (1/40), Shivang Kumar (1/19), and Nitish Reddy (1/12) also contributed with wickets. (ANI)
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