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The Sunrisers Hyderabad are at the brink of being knocked out following their early fall of wickets in the Eliminator clash against the Rajasthan Royals. Jofra Archer picked his third for the night as he castled Travis Head's stumps.
The Rajasthan Royals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad match seemed much like a repetition of the IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 fixture between the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and the Gujarat Titans. Pat Cummins opted to field first on a batting-friendly track, and the decision has cost the Sunrisers big time.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi set the tone for Rajasthan Royals' innings with a blistering knock of 97 runs off just 29 balls as he missed out on a record-smashing hundred, which could have been the quickest hundred in the history of the IPL.
Jofra Archer castles Travis Head ending SRH's final hopes in the mammoth chase of 244 runs
The Sunrisers Hyderabad had to chase a massive 244-run target in the Eliminator in order to qualify for the Qualifier 2. Sunrisers have managed to score several runs throughout the season, but not this time in a crucial knockout game of the season.
Travis Head, the aggressive SRH opener, opened the innings and was looking to slowly build a firm innings, scoring a quick 17 off just 8 balls. He was cleaned up as his off-stump was uprooted with a high-pace delivery from Jofra Archer.
That marked Archer's third wicket of the match as the RR speedster has reached his best wicket-taking season with the ball. Archer now has 24 wickets in this edition of the competition.
PACE IS PACE…!!! 🥶🔥
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) May 27, 2026
- A 150.4KMPH CRACKER BY JOFRA ARCHER. pic.twitter.com/aq5CNo0l32
Jofra Archer dismissed the SRH Top 3 within the powerplay
Though the Rajasthan Royals batters had done their part with the bat, they could not rely totally on the scoreboard just for winning the game against a very powerful Sunrisers batting lineup. The Sunrisers have already gone past the 200-run margin nine times this season and have chased some massive totals with ease.
However, it never could happen if the SRH top three were back into the dugout in no time. That is what happened in this match against the Rajasthan Royals. Royals's star bowler Jofra Archer struck on the second ball as Abhishek Sharma knicked one down the left side.
Ishan Kishan unleashed some serious ball striking; however, his stay was short-lived as Archer, after being taken for runs, dismissed him at the score of 33 off just 11 balls. Travis Head's dismissal marked his third and SRH's fourth for the night. Archer single-handedly destroyed the SRH top order just within a span of 16 balls.
Rajasthan Royals march into Qualifier 2 in quest of a third-time spot in the finals
With eight wickets down and 75 runs still needed for the Sunrisers Hyderabad to win the match, the Rajasthan Royals have already secured a spot in the IPL 2026 Qualifier 2 and will clash against the Gujarat Titans at the same venue.
The New Chandigarh Stadium will once again be lit up on Friday when the Rajasthan Royals take on Gujarat Titans. The Titans come off a very humiliating defeat at the hands of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, while the Royals come off a commanding win over their opponents, Sunrisers Hyderabad.
While Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will be eyeing the Orange Cap in the season, Jofra Archer would also set his eyes on the purple cap in this season, especially after his recent wicket-taking spree in the last few games of the season.
ALSO READ: Full list of records Vaibhav Sooryavanshi shattered after 29-ball 97 in IPL 2026 Eliminator
