14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi scored one of the most extraordinary centuries in cricket history, never mind the IPL, to lead to Rajasthan Royals to a thumping eight-wicket victory against the Gujarat Titans in their IPL match at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Monday.
The visitors posted an intimidating total of 209 for four, but it was made to look utterly inadequate by left-hander Suryavanshi, who scored 101 from just 38 balls with seven fours and 11 sixes in an innings so replete with conventional and improvised strokes to make it impossible to highlight the highlights.
Even fellow opener and dominant left-hander, Yashasvi Jaiswal, was left in his partner’s slipstream with 70 from 40 balls (9x4, 2x6) during an opening stand of 166 in just 11.5 overs. It was eye-catching and pulse-raising in equal measure, particularly with the Royals facing elimination from the play-off stages had they lost.
From one teenage prodigy to another ⭐ pic.twitter.com/4VxGblTknS
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) April 28, 2025
Jaiswal remained a semi-bewildered, unbeaten match-winner at the end in the company of Riyan Parag who slashed 32 not out from 15 balls in the joyous knowledge that the game was all but won.
It was the fastest that a 200-plus total had ever been successfully chased in the IPL, and comfortably the highest chased against the Titans. “It is a dream to score an IPL century, but I just try to keep things simple, I don’t think about it too much – just play the ball and hit it,” said Suryavanshi afterwards.
We’ve seen some special things in the #TATAIPL over the years, but this one is up there with the very best.
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) April 28, 2025
𝟏𝟒-𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐕𝐚𝐢𝐛𝐡𝐚𝐯 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐲𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢’𝐬 𝟏𝟎𝟏 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝟑𝟖 𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬
Rajasthan Royals win by eight wickets. pic.twitter.com/lbHNJuBM7N
The Gujarat Titans followed their meticulously successful, log-leading formula with top order runs and a late blast in the death overs with openers Sai Sudharsan (39) and captain Shubman Gill (84 from 50 balls) adding 93 for the first wicket before England’s Jos Buttler spanked 50* from just 26 balls to set up an intimidating total.
The result leaves the Titans in third place on the log, just two points behind Royal Challengers Bengaluru but with a game in hand, while the Royals kept their flickering hopes of a play-off place alive by moving to six points from 10 games with just four group games to go.
RAJASTHAN ROYALS: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag (captain), Dhruv Jurel (wkt), Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Sandeep Sharma, Yudhvir Singh Charak
GUJARAT TITANS: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (captain), Jos Buttler (wkt), Washington Sundar, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna