It was a day of breathtaking highs and alarming lows for Rajasthan Royals as their 15-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi lit up the Sawai Mansingh Stadium with a jaw-dropping century against Sunrisers Hyderabad, only to hobble off the field with a hamstring scare that has left the cricketing world holding its breath.
Sooryavanshi smashed a blistering 103 off just 37 balls, studded with 12 maximums and five fours, in a knock that rewrote the record books yet again. He reached his hundred off 36 balls, the third-fastest century in IPL history, and became the first batter to score multiple IPL hundreds in fewer than 40 balls.
The teenager also became the youngest player to reach 1,000 runs in T20 cricket, achieving the milestone at just 15 years and 29 days. He needed only 473 balls to get there, the quickest ever in men’s T20 cricket.
But the celebrations were short-lived. During the third over of SRH’s chase of 229, Sooryavanshi was seen clutching his hamstring before falling to the ground. He was attended to by the physio and helped off the field.
The extent of his injury remains unknown, casting a shadow over what was otherwise a historic performance. Despite Sooryavanshi’s heroics, SRH successfully chased down the 229-run target, the fourth-highest successful chase in IPL history.
Cricket fans worldwide now anxiously await updates on the youngster’s fitness.
