Rajasthan Royals first IPL 2026 match at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur began well but didn’t quite yield the desired result as they lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad by five wickets on Saturday.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s 37-ball 103 propelled the Royals to a score of 228/6 - the highest team total at the venue at the time - but it was usurped by SRH, who rode on fifties by Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma.

With 10 points from eight matches, Rajasthan Royals are fourth on the IPL 2026 points table and have a Net Run Rate of +602.

Sunrisers Hyderabad won the toss and elected to bowl first and were made to immediately rue the decision as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi tore into Praful Hinge in the first over.

Up against the bowler who had dismissed him for a duck in the reverse fixture in Hyderabad just 12 days back, Vaibhav slammed four back-to-back maximums before welcoming the returning Pat Cummins with another maximum in the second over.

With the teenager looking menacing at 30 off six balls, the Royals lost Yashasvi Jaiswal for just 10 in the third over bowled by Eshan Malinga.

The Sri Lankan pacer almost had Sooryavanshi too in his next over but Aniket Verma fumbled his catch in the deep, allowing the 15-year-old a second lease of life when he was batting on 32.

That was all Vaibhav needed as he raced to his half-century in just 15 balls - the third time he has managed the feat this season.

At the other end, Dhruv Jurel also notched up his third fifty of the season - in a more modest 34 balls - but departed soon after with 51 to his name. His partnership with Vaibhav was worth 112 runs.

A couple of overs later, Vaibhav brought up his century in just 36 balls, taking just one delivery more than he did against GT last season while smashing the fastest IPL century by an Indian and the second-quickest overall.

The 15-year-old reached the mark in style, smashing Sakib Hussain for a six, four and six off successive deliveries in the 14th over but was trapped LBW in the very next ball while trying an extravagant scoop. His century was laced with 12 maximums, five fours and several records.

Vaibhav’s departure left RR at 170/3 in the 14th over, following which Donovan Fereira (33 off 16) helped propel Rajasthan Royals to 228/6 in 20 overs - the highest IPL score at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, eclipsing the previous best of 219/5 PBKS managed last season.

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Jofra Archer was denied his fourth first-ball wicket this season after Travis Head was dropped but it didn’t cost the Royals much as the English pacer removed the Aussie from the board just four balls later. Jurel made amends for the earlier drop with a good catch.

Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan, however, took the challenge on as SRH posted 89/1 in the powerplay before both batters completed their respective fifties.

It was Fereira who brought an end to the duo’s 132-run stand by having Sharma caught in the deep in the 10th over. Archer also returned to the attack and dismissed Ishan Kishan for a 31-ball 74 to reel back the SRH innings further.

However, with 41 needed of the final five overs, the visitors still held the upper hand in the contest.

Brijesh Sharma taking out Nitish Kumar Reddy and Heinrick Klaasen in the 18th over made for some late drama and a nervy ending but it came a little too late as Salil Arora took them past the finish line with nine balls remaining.

Rajasthan Royals will be on the road to face Punjab Kings in their next IPL 2026 match in New Chandigarh on Tuesday.

Rajasthan Royals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, IPL 2026, brief scores: RR 228/6 in 20 overs (Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 103; Eshan Malinga 2/38) lost to SRH 229/5 in 18.3 overs (Ishan Kishan 74; Jofra Archer 2/34) by five wickets.