Rajasthan Royals are peaking at the right time in IPL 2026 and have booked their place in Qualifier 2 after a convincing win over Sunrisers Hyderabad. The inaugural champions enjoyed a strong start to the season before losing momentum midway through the campaign, but they managed to regroup when it mattered the most and secured a playoff berth through a late surge led by two standout performers – Vaibhav Sooryavanshi with the bat and Jofra Archer with the ball.
Sooryavanshi has been the driving force of Rajasthan’s batting line-up all season. The 15-year-old has consistently provided explosive starts and carried the responsibility of setting the tone in almost every game. He currently leads the Orange Cap standings with 680 runs from 15 matches at an outstanding average of 45.33 while maintaining a phenomenal strike rate of 242.85. His fearless approach has transformed Rajasthan into one of the most dangerous batting units in the tournament.
Archer, meanwhile, has spearheaded the bowling attack brilliantly and remains firmly in contention for the Purple Cap with 24 wickets. His ability to strike in crucial phases has played a massive role in Rajasthan’s turnaround.
Their performances helped RR edge past Punjab Kings in the playoff race. PBKS had looked unstoppable early in the season with six wins and a draw in their first seven matches, but a damaging six-match losing streak derailed their campaign and opened the door for Rajasthan to capitalise.
After guiding Rajasthan Royals into Qualifier 2, Archer said the team is on the right direction but stressed the importance of consistency in the business end of the season. He pointed to the example of Punjab Kings’ collapse earlier in the campaign, suggesting Rajasthan have managed to avoid going down a similar path at a crucial stage of their playoff push.
“Every game at a time. I think, I don’t want to say peaking, we’re going in the right direction at the right time, you know. We don’t want what happened to Kings XI (Punjab Kings) to happen to us. So I think we’re on the right path everyone chipping in every game and that’s the important part,” Archer told the broadcasters.
“More Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scires, more RR have to defend”
The RR paceman was full of praise for Sooryavanshi after the teenager’s breathtaking assault against Sunrisers Hyderabad, saying his explosive batting makes life much easier for the bowlers. Archer said the more runs the 15-year-old scores at the top, the greater the cushion for RR while defending total
“It was very exciting, you know. The more runs he scores, the more runs we have to defend. So, you know, he can go on and get 150. So it’s good for the bowlers when he gets a lot of runs,” he added.
The English pacer was also asked whether he bowls to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the nets. Archer replied with a smile that it happens “sometimes”, but chose not to reveal how he plans against the teenage sensation in training, saying, “I’ll tell you after the IPL.”
