IPL 2026, RR vs MI: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi flop show triggers Hardik Pandya’s viral reaction

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (Image credit: BCCI/IPL) NEW DELHI: Deepak Chahar gave Mumbai Indians the much-needed breakthrough they were looking for in the IPL 2026 match against Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Chahar took the biggest wicket of the match, dismissing Rajasthan Royals star batsman Vaibhav Sooryavanshi cheaply.Sooryavanshi was expected to come out all guns blazing in the all-important Rajasthan Royals clash, but he failed. Chahar bowled a full delivery straight into the slot. Sooryavanshi went for a lofted shot but only managed the leading edge. Naman Dheer sprinted and completed a brilliant catch at deep point to send Sooryavanshi back to the pavilion.The entire crowd at Wankhede went berserk after Sooryavanshi’s release. MI captain Hardik Pandya erupted in celebration and was all smiles as he came forward to hug Chahar.Mumbai Indians won the toss and elected to bowl first in their final league match of the season, a must-win encounter for Rajasthan Royals.MI rested seasoned pacer Jasprit Bumrah and brought Deepak Chahar into the playing XI. Rajasthan Royals made three changes, with captain Riyan Parag, Nandre Burger and Ravindra Jadeja appearing in their side.MI captain Hardik Pandya said the reason he opted to bowl first was because of the conditions. “When we played in the afternoon, (the pitch) tends to get better in the afternoon,” Pandya said at the toss.“It looks like a good track. It’s hard. It’s going to be played like this most of the time. Once the sun goes down, it’s a little bit better. I want to go out there and do my best. We’ve had a tough season,” he added.With Rajasthan Royals needing a win to secure the fourth spot in the playoffs, skipper Parag said the team will give their best in the must-win contest as they trail Punjab Kings by one point.“We’d do the same thing. It could be the last game of the season. We’ll play like it. All the preparation and energy that went into the tournament … Hopefully we’ll maximize our opportunity and make the playoffs. Better have this than rely on somebody else,” he said.Playing XI:Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (c), Donovan Ferreira, Shubham Dubey, Dasun Shanaka, Jofra Atcher, Nandre Burger, Yash Raj Punja, Brijesh SharmaImpact Subs: Ravindra Jadeja, Sushant Mishra, Aman Rao Perala, Ravi Bishnoi, Tushar Deshpande.Mumbai Indians: Ryan Rickelton (wk), Naman Dhir, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Will Jacks, Corbin Bosch, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, AM Ghazanfar, Raghu Sharma.Impact Subs: Rohit Sharma, Mayank Rawat, Robin Minz, Krish Bhagat, Trent Boult