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Former India captain Kris Srikkanth backed the Rajasthan Royals' Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to perform in the team's Eliminator against the Sunrisers Hyderabad on Tuesday.
RR finished fourth on the IPL 2026 points table at the end of the league stage and will face the third-placed SRH at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh.
Sooryavanshi is currently RR's highest run-scorer in IPL 2026, but could not crack on in the last game against the Mumbai Indians on Sunday.
RR scraped by to the playoffs on the last day of the league stage
The Rajasthan Royals had a slightly topsy-turvy journey to making the playoffs. After winning each of their first four games, the wheels came off.
RR lost 6 out of 8 in the middle and had to fight for their spot in the playoffs. The inaugural champions managed to win their last two games, with the last one coming on the very last day of the league stage of the tournament.
RR finished fourth with 16 points while SRH finished third with 18. The loser of their Eliminator will be eliminated from the tournament, while the winner will play the Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2 on May 29 for a place in the final on May 31.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru are already in the final, having won Qualifier 1. Qualifier 2 will be held at Mullanpur, while the final will be held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
"If he fails in one match, he will score in the next" - Srikkanth
On his YouTube channel, Srikkanth addressed queries about RR's chances against SRH in the playoff encounter and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's form. In his answer, Srikkanth touted RR as slight favourites to come out on top.
"I believe it's 55-45 to RR. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi didn't score in the last match, and he has that fire. Usually, if he fails in one game, he performs in the next. If he and Jaiswal set the tone, that'll be enough for RR, with Jurel batting very well. If Archer bowls two deadly deliveries and removes Head and Abhishek, he can finish you off in the powerplay itself," he said.
Although he picked RR to be the favourites, Srikkanth acknowledged that SRH were the better side on paper and that the 'Orange Army' had the best middle order in the tournament.
"On paper, SRH are a gun side and the far superior side. They have as dangerous a batting side as RCB. But RCB scores in a more collective manner. Yet, RR is a funny and dangerous side. We can't underestimate RR. SRH's real plus is Kishan and Klaasen. Their Nos. 3 and 4 are too strong and have been the best 3 and 4 in the competition," said Srikkanth.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in IPL 2026
15-year-old boy wonder, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, is arguably the best batter of IPL 2026. His explosiveness has won many people over, and all of them have asked for him to be included in the Indian team.
This year, he is RR's highest run-scorer with 583 runs at an average of 41.64 and a scarcely believable strike rate of 232. He has also made 3 fifties and a century this year. He has also hit 53 sixes, which is a record total by an Indian batter in an IPL season.
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