Vaibhav Sooryavanshi turned an IPL contest into a spectacle on Friday night, with his fearless hitting against Royal Challengers Bengaluru leaving even Congress MP Shashi Tharoor impressed, the veteran calling the 15-year-old a “rare, generational talent” who is “redefining the art of batting.”

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The 15-year-old from Samastipur in Bihar scored a remarkable 78 off just 26 balls, leading Rajasthan Royals to a comfortable six-wicket win over the defending champions. Chasing a steep target of 202, the Royals made light work of the pursuit, getting home in 18 overs as Sooryavanshi hammered a 15-ball half-century to break the back of the chase.

At an age when most teenagers are busy checking board exam results and planning their next step, Sooryavanshi spent his evening taking apart a high-quality bowling attack in the Indian Premier League. There was a sense of ease to it all. His innings, laced with eight fours and seven sixes, meant 74 of his 78 runs came in boundaries, each shot greeted with growing disbelief from the crowd.

Among those watching closely was Tharoor, who followed the game ball by ball before sharing his admiration in a detailed post on X.

“Ah! @Vaibhavsooryava is just out, caught by @imVkohli. May as well start doing other things now, like tweeting! It is truly a marvel to witness the meteoric rise of young Sooryavanshi. Watching this 15-year-old phenom at the crease is a masterclass in the evolution of the game. The sheer bat speed he generates, coupled with an almost supernatural sense of timing and raw power, is nothing short of breathtaking,” Tharoor wrote.

The Congress MP continued in the same thread, describing Sooryavanshi as a “phenom” whose bat speed, timing, and raw power make every innings a spectacle. He spoke about dropping everything just to watch the youngster bat in the Indian Premier League.

“He isn’t just playing cricket; he is fundamentally redefining the art of batting for a new generation. Whenever he takes strike, the world outside simply ceases to exist. I find myself dropping everything just to catch every delivery. We are watching a rare, generational talent unfold before our eyes. Truly exhilarating,” he added.

Sooryavanshi’s innings was not just about brute force but also about control. Having already taken on the likes of Jasprit Bumrah earlier in the season, the youngster showed the same authority against Josh Hazlewood on Friday.

Hazlewood, known for his discipline, tried to cramp him for room with a delivery angled in close to the body, but Sooryavanshi adjusted quickly and carved it away for a boundary. The next two deliveries were dispatched over mid-on and into the square leg stands, underlining the ease with which he handled both pace and variation.

One of the standout strokes came against Abhinandan Singh, whose yorker-length delivery was whipped into the stands with remarkable bat speed. It was a shot that summed up the teenager’s confidence and his ability to dominate even from difficult positions.

Even after his dismissal, caught by Virat Kohli, the result was beyond doubt. By then, the Royals had already done the job and were firmly in control.

After an impressive debut IPL season at 14, Sooryavanshi has taken his game to another level this year. In a format where a strike rate of 200 is seen as elite, the teenager is operating well above that mark, and doing it with freedom that is hard to ignore.

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Royal Challengers Bengaluru got carried away by the occasion, it has to be said.

The Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati had the toss delayed due to rain. However, once the toss happened and Rajasthan Royals put RCB into bat, by then the conditions had become totally bowler-friendly, especially for fast bowlers.

Phil Salt can be excused, for he got out right off the first ball of the match, bowled by tearaway pacer Jofra Archer. Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli had edges in the same over, and that should have made them careful. Instead, they chose to continue playing their strokes, and for a brief period, they were successful too. Kohli played some exquisite drives through the covers. And right there, they got carried away, ignoring the prodigious swing and seam offered by the Guwahati surface.

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Archer also removed Padikkal for 16 in the third over; however, once Ravi Bishnoi clean-bowled Virat Kohli for a 16-ball 32, things had started to change for RCB. Kohli, looking for a big shot, totally missed the line of the ball that went straight. Madness took over thereafter. Krunal Pandya, totally ignorant of his team’s perilous situation, found Shemron Hetmyer at long-off off Bishnoi.

Military medium pacer Brijesh Sharma then wreaked havoc with two wickets. A totally innocuous-looking bowler. RCB vice captain Jitesh Sharma missed an incoming delivery and was deemed lbw by the umpire. Tim David, with no lessons learnt, showed no tendency to build the innings. He was Brijesh’s second wicket. Romario Shepherd displayed the same attitude, and he, too, was back in the dugout before long.

RR assistant coach Trevor Penney was really happy with his team’s performance. “They were lucky in the first few overs with so many edges flying around, but we eventually came back. Ravi Bishnoi is a great bowler, and he brings so much to the table, both on and off the field. We have been training really hard, and it has paid dividends so far,” he said on the sidelines during the innings.

It may be noted that the pitch eased out in the second half of the innings. In the last few overs, Impact Sub Venkatesh Iyer (29* off 15) played a good hand. RCB now will have to bowl out of their skin to defend 201. Mind you, there are players like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the opposition team. No total is enough for them.

Whoever loses today will taste their first defeat this season. RR have won all three of their matches so far. Defending champions RCB, on the other hand, have won their previous two.

Sara Tendulkar (Screengrabs)

NEW DELHI: Ahead of the IPL match between Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Gujarat Titans (GT) in Lucknow, Sara Tendulkar grabbed attention with her reaction to a simple question. While walking at the airport with her sister-in-law Saaniya, she was asked by a paparazzo which team she would support. Despite repeated prompts, Sara just smiled, blushed, and chose not to answer, keeping fans guessing.