Rajasthan Royals’ players (PTI Photo)

Rajasthan Royals endured a night to forget in the Indian Premier League 2026 as they scripted a series of unwanted records during their crushing defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad on Monday. Chasing a daunting 217, RR’s innings unravelled in dramatic fashion right from the outset. Their top four batters managed to score just one run combined — the lowest ever by a team’s top four in IPL history. Yashasvi Jaiswal was the only one to get off the mark with a single, while Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel and Lhuan-dre Pretorius were all dismissed for ducks. The collapse was not just shocking, but record-breaking in the worst possible way. RR lost their first five wickets in just 18 balls — the fastest such collapse in IPL history. Even more staggering, the first four wickets fell in only 10 deliveries, setting another unwanted record. The previous benchmarks stood at 11 balls for four wickets and 19 balls for five, recorded during Kochi Tuskers Kerala’s innings against Deccan Chargers in 2011. At the centre of this carnage was debutant pacer Praful Hinge, who produced a spell for the ages. The youngster picked up three wickets in the very first over — a first in IPL history — removing Sooryavanshi, Jurel and Pretorius to leave RR in complete disarray. He eventually finished with impressive figures of 4/34. If Hinge set the tone, fellow debutant Sakib Hussain ensured there was no way back for RR. The left-arm pacer returned with outstanding figures of 4/24, including the early dismissal of Jaiswal, as Rajasthan slumped to 9/5 within no time. In total, all ten wickets in RR’s innings fell to pacers which is only the seventh such instance in IPL history, and the first since Delhi Capitals achieved it against the same opposition in 2019. Despite the early chaos, RR showed some resistance through Donovan Ferreira and Ravindra Jadeja, who stitched together a 118-run partnership to take the team to 159. However, the damage had already been done. Earlier, SRH had posted a formidable 216/6, riding on a sublime 91 from captain Ishan Kishan, setting the stage for a dominant 57-run victory. In the end, it was a night where records tumbled but for Rajasthan Royals, they were records they would rather forget.

Rajasthan Royals’ captain Riyan Parag (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag played down his side’s heavy defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad, calling it just a minor setback and urging his team to move on quickly. RR were handed a crushing 57-run loss after being blown away early in the chase of 217. The damage was done in the very first over when debutant pacer Praful Hinge struck three times, removing Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel and Lhuan-dre Pretorius to leave Rajasthan reeling. Reflecting on the loss, Parag admitted that the team had little time to dwell on emotions and acknowledged SRH’s strong execution with the ball. “Not a lot of time to feel the emotions, to be honest. We lost back-to-back wickets, credit to the way they bowled. Probably a few miscalculations from us, but we will just take this as a blip and not think about it too much.” Parag also assessed the pitch conditions, suggesting that chasing might have been the better option, although he conceded that RR’s batting collapse hurt them more than anything else. “(on the pitch) It was pretty good actually. I felt bowling second might have been better, probably because we lost wickets. It was a little sticky with the new ball with the shine on. After the shine was gone, I felt, it slowed down a bit and we could have bowled second, but then that’s again hindsight and we could have batted way better.” The RR skipper reserved special praise for SRH’s debutant seamers, particularly Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain, who combined to dismantle the batting line-up. “Absolutely, I think I’ve not seen them a lot domestically, but I think I played Sakib once when I played against Bihar versus Assam. But they bowled beautifully. I felt the pressure they had with the home crowd supporting and chanting their names and stuff like that. I felt the way they bowled the first four overs, first four, five overs, I think really was beautiful.” Parag also explained his tactical call not to use Ravindra Jadeja with the ball, citing the form of Ishan Kishan as a key factor. “(on not bowling Jadeja) I felt we started really well. Probably could have done a few things here and there. Jaddu bhai, I don’t know, just split second decision. Ishan was batting really well, so I didn’t want to take that chance. Trusted Bishnoi with the overs. But I felt they were 30 over par for sure with the way the wicket was playing.” Despite being reduced to 9/5, RR showed some fight through a 118-run stand between Donovan Ferreira and Jadeja, eventually reaching 159. Parag took that as a positive, highlighting the depth in the batting unit. “As far as batting is concerned, I think being five wickets down for nine runs and still getting 160, that says a lot about the depth of our batting.” Looking ahead, the young captain remained optimistic, insisting the team would quickly regroup for their next game. “Absolutely, like I said, it’s just a blip and we move ahead to Kolkata and do something better.”

Rajasthan Royals’ Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (ANI Photo)

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s meteoric rise in the Indian Premier League 2026 season has turned him into one of the most talked-about young cricketers in the country. The 15-year-old from Samastipur, Bihar, has been in sensational form, and his growing stardom has also brought increased attention off the field. However, amid the hype and endorsement deals, former New Zealand pacer Simon Doull has issued a timely warning. Sooryavanshi first grabbed widespread attention with his explosive knock in the Under-19 World Cup final against England. Since then, his profile has only grown, with multiple endorsements coming his way. While his success has been celebrated, Doull expressed concern about the kind of people surrounding the young batter at such a crucial stage of his career. “It is a word of caution. He already is a bit of a superstar. If things carry on, we all hope he will continue to be a superstar, an Indian superstar, in white-ball cricket in particular. It’s the people you surround yourself with. He would have had every management company looking for him and trying to find deals for him,” Doull said on Cricbuzz. Doull stressed that those managing Sooryavanshi must prioritise his long-term growth rather than financial gains. He pointed out that many management companies tend to focus more on their own profits instead of safeguarding a young player’s career. “Management companies and management people are there to look after you. Too many of them only think about looking out for themselves. How much can I make of this young man? How much can my company make of this young man? That’s the biggest issue I have with management companies worldwide,” he added. On the field, Sooryavanshi has backed up the hype with remarkable performances. He has already struck two half-centuries in IPL 2026, both coming at a breathtaking pace of just 15 balls. This follows his record-breaking century last season, when he smashed the fastest hundred by an Indian in the tournament, reaching the milestone in just 35 balls against the Gujarat Titans. His first setback this season came on Monday, when he was dismissed for a golden duck by Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer Praful Hinge. Despite that blip, his overall impact remains immense. Doull reiterated that the teenager must be cautious about external influences and ensure he is surrounded by people who genuinely care about his development. “They all worry about what they can make, not how well I should be looking out for this young man? How much should I be looking out for his career? And not making him do much at this point. The longevity should be there. If you stop performing, they would go be chasing the next bloke because that’s what managers do,” said Doull. “Just be careful who you surround yourself with. If he’s got a good family and upbringing, he would be okay. But just watch out for the sharks,” he added.Rajasthan Royals suffered their first defeat of the season on Monday, going down to Sunrisers Hyderabad after winning four consecutive matches. Batting first, Sunrisers Hyderabad posted a formidable 216/6, with captain Ishan Kishan leading the charge with a brilliant 91. In response, Rajasthan Royals were bundled out for 159. Debutant pacer Praful Hinge made an immediate impact, picking up three wickets in his very first over, including the prized scalp of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for a golden duck. Rajasthan found themselves in deep trouble at 9/5 at one stage, before a fighting century partnership between Donovan Ferreira and Ravindra Jadeja helped them recover somewhat and reach 159.

Praful Hinge (BCCI/IPL Photo)

NEW DELHI: Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Praful Hinge turned his manifestation into reality in spectacular fashion, returning figures of 4/34 in a historic IPL performance against Rajasthan Royals on Monday. His spell helped Sunrisers Hyderabad register a commanding 57-run victory over Rajasthan Royals at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.“I wrote it down somewhere that I could take four or five wickets on debut,” Hinge said after bagging his Player of the Match award on debut.After Sunrisers Hyderabad posted a massive 216/6, powered by a blistering 91 off 44 balls from captain Ishan Kishan, Hinge set the tone with a fiery opening burst that dismantled the chase almost immediately. His three-wicket first over effectively shattered the table-toppers’ hopes of chasing 217 before the innings could even settle.Hinge finished with a remarkable opening spell of 2-0-6-4, tearing through RR’s in-form top order and guiding SRH to their first defeat for the visitors in five matches.“I had written this somewhere that I will take 4-5 wickets on my debut. I thought of dominating the powerplay. I believe in it (manifestation),” Hinge told the broadcaster after the match.“At the age of 13, I started cricket. Did not know what leather ball cricket was. Asked my father to join a club. But he said I was too young. Then he just took me there, and I kept playing after it. Want to dedicate this award to my family.”Hinge also revealed that he had planned to dismiss RR opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi with a bouncer.“I had told people that I would bowl a bouncer to him and get him out. I just wanted to get him out. Varun bhai (our bowling coach) helped me plan it, so thank you,” he said.Hinge’s four-wicket haul was complemented by another impressive debut from pacer Sakib Hussain, who returned figures of 4/24.“Every player hopes for a debut like this, so it feels really good. I’m very happy. The (SRH) bowling coach informed me a day before the game that I would be playing. From then on, my focus was simply on performing well. Mentally, I prepared myself to give my best,” Hussain said.“Varun (Aaron) bhai has been working with me for the past four years. Whatever improvement you see in my bowling is because of him. I give him full credit. It felt amazing. To have such a performance in my debut match is very special,” he added.SRH skipper Ishan Kishan praised the intent of his young pace duo, Hinge and Hussain, highlighting their hunger and preparation throughout the season.“You also have to look how hungry your young bowlers are, how motivated they feel and you know how much they are hungry to play these games and I think they were working out throughout the season,” he said.“They were working with fielding, our bowling coach Varun Aaron and they were just trying to give their best, talking to all the experienced players. They especially did well in the practice matches as well, so I think this was the right move today,” Kishan added.Kishan also spoke about the challenges of captaining as a wicketkeeper.“As a captain, I felt, you know, there was some miscommunication going on. You’re not able to communicate with your bowlers what the plans are. So it’s better to be there, discuss with them what they’re going to bowl so that we can feel, set the field accordingly,” he said.Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag admitted he had little prior exposure to SRH’s new-ball pair.“I haven’t seen them a lot in domestic cricket. I think I played Sakib once, Bihar versus Assam. But they bowled beautifully. Considering the pressure of the home crowd supporting them and chanting their names, the way they bowled in the first four or five overs was really impressive,” Parag said.Parag also reflected on his side’s decision at the toss.“We lost back-to-back wickets, credit to the way they bowled. There were probably a few miscalculations from our side as well, but we will just take this as a blip and not think about it too much,” he said.“I felt bowling second might have been better, probably because we lost wickets early. It was a little sticky with the new ball while it had shine. Once the shine wore off, it slowed down a bit.“In hindsight, we could have bowled second, but there are a lot of things we could have done better,” he added.

RR manager Romi Bhinder violates PMOA protocol (Screengrab)

It has been nearly two days since Rajasthan Royals manager Romi Binder was seen using a mobile phone in the team’s dugout, which is a violation of “PMOA (Players and Match Officials Area) Protocol – 2026”, but the BCCI has yet to act on the serious violation. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said they will thoroughly “examine the matter” before reaching a logical conclusion.“Certain individuals are allowed to carry phones in the dugout and Romi Bhinder, as a manager, can carry it. But we need to thoroughly examine where exactly the event happened and whether the phone was used. We will conduct an internal examination before reaching a logical conclusion,” Saikia tells TimesofIndia.com.