Rajasthan Royals, in an exciting 47-run win at Mullanpur in IPL 2026 Eliminator to book their spot into Qualifier 2, knocked out Sunrisers Hyderabad from the tournament. Though the young Vaibhav Sooryavanshi the RR prodigy stealing headlines by smashing a breathtaking 97 off 29 balls, there was a period of sheer drama midway in the match where the SRH tried to pull off a heist to remember. At the very center of that explosive and thrilling counter-attack was all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy who made sure that the Orange Army would not go down without a fight.
Midway hope: 112 needed off 60 balls
Chasing a mammoth total of 243 on a pressure cook of the knock-out stage the SRH’s opening batting order struggled in a spell of brutal swing bowling by Jofra Archer. The key batsmen of SRH, Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head and Heinrich Klaasen returned to the dugout leaving a lot of work undone, pushing SRH on the backfoot and gasping for breath.
But the story did not end there as by the time the midway drinks break, the chase looked completely a matter of debate, with 112 runs required off the remaining 10 overs.On the Mullanpur surface which clearly favored the batsmen, the match hung on a slender and chaotic string. At the time of coming to bat at 6, Reddy partnered with Impact Player Salil Arora to bring some life back into a chase that seemed long lost.
The partnership of 56 runs that was smashed in just 24 balls by the duo stunned everyone. Reddy continued to bat fearlessly, and played an outrageous innings of 38 off 20 balls, clattering 3 boundaries and 2 magnificent sixes at a monumental strike rate of 190.00. For some time it did seem like SRH would pull off the best comeback of the season and a huge heist.
SRH aren’t going down without a fight 🔥
112 to win off 10 overs. Can they script a stunning heist?pic.twitter.com/YdjH0yuFDE
— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) May 27, 2026
A standout all-round performance in defeat
But what truly stood out about Reddy’s innings was the discipline he showed earlier in the evening. While the other SRH bowlers were plundered by the RR batsmen, with Pat Cummins in particular bearing the brunt of it and getting carted for 0 for 64, Reddy was a solitary hero with the ball.
He was highly economical with the ball giving away only 12 runs from his two over quota and picked up a wicket in his bag. Even though his fellow bowlers faltered and succumbed against the RR batting power-house, Nitish maintained a decent line and length, making sure SRH stayed in the hunt.
Heartbreaking turning point of the game
The impossible heist was cut short in the 11th over with veteran spinner Ravindra Jadeja cleaning the man up. Looking to reduce the ever-increasing required run rate Reddy tried to hit Jadeja over the boundary but was caught at deep mid-wicket by Dasun Shanaka.
The departure of Reddy completely deflated the morale of SRH and the rest of the lower order crumbled under the scoreboard pressure like a pack of cards, being bowled out for 196 runs in 19.2 overs. Despite the elimination from the tournament Reddy proved his worth as a class all-rounder, ending his sensational season against RR with some great scores with the bat and valuable wickets with the ball across three encounters. The Rajasthan Royals after a clinical performance now move on to face Shubman Gill led Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2 for a place in the Grand Final.
