SRH have plan A, B and C ready for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi: Pat Cummins

Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins has admitted that his team already has some bowling plans in place for teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi ahead of the IPL 2026 Eliminator match against Rajasthan Royals. Cummins said players like Vaibhav, who can complete games within a few overs, force bowling attacks to prepare backup plans beyond their usual strengths.

The two sides will now meet in the Eliminator at Mullanpur after completion of SRH league stage double over Rajasthan Royals earlier this season. Speaking to JioStar ahead of the knockout clash, Cummins reflected on Vaibhav’s explosive century against SRH in Jaipur and how the Hyderabad bowlers are now preparing specifically for the 15-year-old.

“It’s always a balance between understanding what you do well as a pitcher and how you’re going to target your strengths,” Cummins said.

“But when there’s probably one or two players in each lineup who can take the game away from the opposition, you spend a little bit more time working on Plan B or Plan C.”

“Yeah, we’re going to schedule him. Even though he got a hundred against us last time, I thought there were times where we actually bowled him pretty well and kept him quiet. Other times he got away from us. So we’ll learn from that.”

Cummins also said that SRH will take confidence from beating Rajasthan twice this season before going into the Eliminator.

“Obviously you’re starting from scratch, but you’re learning from the previous games,” Cummins said.

“We’ve played them twice. We’ve had a good look at a lot of their players. A lot of our guys can look back at those games where they’ve had success and lean on the fact that they’re going to the finals.”

“So it’s always nice to come up against a team you’ve had some success against.

SRH VS RR: CONFIDENTIAL ELIMINATOR BATTLE

Sunrisers Hyderabad will enter the knockout clash with a clear psychological advantage over Rajasthan Royals.

SRH have already beaten RR twice this season and are currently on a six-match winning streak against them that dates back to 2022. The first encounter in Hyderabad ended in a dominant 57-run victory for SRH, with Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain combining for eight wickets.

The reverse fixture in Jaipur looked different only because of Vaibhav’s stunning century, but that too eventually ended in another win for SRH.

That history now gives Cummins the tactical knowledge heading into the biggest clash between these two teams this season.

The winner of Wednesday’s Eliminator will move on to face Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2, while the loser’s IPL campaign will end immediately.

Can SRH BOWLER VAIBHAV SOORYAVANSHI handle?

That remains the biggest question heading into the Eliminator.

Vaibhav has already shown this season that reputation means very little to him. The teenager attacked Jasprit Bumrah, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins with the same fearless intent, often taking plays within the power-play itself.

Vaibhav’s rise this season has been one of the biggest stories of IPL 2026. The Rajasthan Royals batsman smashed 583 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of over 232, making him one of the most feared powerplay hitters in the tournament despite being just 15 years old.

Earlier this season in Jaipur, Vaibhav scored a breathtaking 103 off just 37 balls against SRHwho brought up his century in just 36 deliveries – the second fastest IPL hundred by an Indian behind Abhishek Sharma. The youngster even took on Cummins fearlessly during that innings, scoring eight runs off the four balls he faced from the Australian quick, including the sixth off the first ball.

SRH’s bowling plans are likely to revolve around not allowing Vaibhav to dictate the tempo early on.

Cummins himself barely bowled at the youngster during that Jaipur century, sending down just four deliveries. This time, SRH are expected to directly target him much earlier, with Cummins, Sakib Hussain and potentially Harshal Patel returning to the bowling mix.

– The end

Issued by:

Debodinna Chakraborty

Published on:

May 27, 2026 1:15 PM IST