IPL 2026: When Sunrisers’ debutants destroyed rampant Royals

CHENNAI: They were out of form, and were facing a team that was in sparkling form. But when the struggling Sunrisers Hyderabad faced the rampaging Rajasthan Royals on Monday (April 13), it took the Men in Orange just a few hours to turn around their fortune, recording a sizable 57-run win scripted by two debutants on its bowling lineup.

In the match in Hyderabad, the hosts got off to the worst start possible, losing their star opener, Abhishek Sharma, off the very first ball. Travis Head (18) and Ishan Kishan (91) stitched up a brief partnership, but RR skipper Riyan Parag snapped it with the wicket of Head.

But that did not put brakes on Kishan, who set off a storm at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. The left-hander took Tushar Deshpande head-on, with five boundaries, including a six. However, he could not complete his century, getting out for a 44-ball 91, with eight fours and six sixes.

Late cameos by Nitish Kumar Reddy (28) and Salil Arora (24) propelled the Sunrisers to 216/6 after 20 overs, with Jofra Archer being the standout bowler, with figures of 2/37.

It was a formidable score, but RR has shown in this season that it has the firepower to surpass almost any challenge. At the heart of this confidence is 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who started IPL 2026 in sublime fashion, hammering 200 runs in four games. Understandably, hence, all attention was on him.

However, it was debutant Praful Hinge who stole the headlines. The 24-year-old Vidarbha pacer snapped up Sooryavanshi for a golden duck to deal a big blow to Rajasthan’s chase. He did not stop there, picking up two more wickets in the first over, removing both Dhruv Jurel (0) and Lhuan-dre Pretorius (0).

The Royals' plan was blown to smithereens, with the scoreline reading 9/5. But they were saved from an impending disaster by Donovan Ferreira (69) and Ravindra Jadeja (45). The duo put together a staggering 118-run partnership, which, at point, gave rise to hopes of a remarkable come-from-behind victory. But that was quashed by the other debutant, Sakib Hussain. Along with Hinge (4/34), Hussain (4/24) destroyed the Royals’ batting lineup to earn the struggling outfit a creditable victory.

With two wins in the season, SRH entered the top four, but the Royals is still standing strong at the top of the IPL 2026 table.