The online trolling of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) co-owner Kavya Maran has intensified on X, turning her muted response to Rajasthan Royals' 15-year-old phenom Vaibhav Sooryavanshi into one of the biggest viral flashpoints of the IPL 2026 Eliminator.

As Vaibhav blitzed a mind-boggling 97 runs off just 29 balls, hammering 12 sixes and matching Suresh Raina’s playoff record for a 16-ball fifty, the entire cricket world stood in disbelief. However, the stark contrast between a celebrating stadium and Kavya's stone-faced demeanor has sparked a massive wave of memes, criticism, and heated debates on social media. The platform has split into distinct camps, ranging from brutal mockery to passionate defense of the franchise owner.

X users quickly weaponized the broadcast footage, contrasting the infectious joy of a 15-year-old making history with Kavya’s visible existential dread in the VIP box. “Kavya Maran didn't even applaud or give a standing ovation to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for one of Greatest innings in the eliminator matc

When Vaibhav got out for 97 off Praful Hinge's bowling : The entire stadium including SRH fans stoop up to applaud him except Kavya Maran”.

A large section of cricket purists heavily criticized her for not acknowledging a historic, once-in-a-generation sporting moment, regardless of team loyalties. “Kavya Maran didn't even applaud or give a standing ovation to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for one of Greatest innings in the eliminator match”, a post on X (formerly, Twitter) read.

The context behind Kavya’s heartbreak makes her reaction understandable. In an absolute pressure-cooker playoff environment at Mullanpur, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi completely dismantled the SRH bowling attack, including veteran skipper Pat Cummins.

SRH batting lineup dismantles in Eliminator match against Rajasthan Royals

The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) batting lineup suffered a catastrophic collapse in their high-stakes IPL 2026 Eliminator match against Rajasthan Royals (RR) at Mullanpur, crumbling under the weight of an immense 244-run target set by the Royals. Chasing the massive scoreboard pressure caused by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s record-breaking 29-ball 97, SRH's famously explosive top-order disintegrated rapidly, leaving their campaign in absolute ruins.

Firebrand opener Abhishek Sharma fell for a devastating 2-ball duck, immediately transferring immense psychological pressure onto the rest of the batting lineup. Dangerous left-hander Travis Head could only manage a brief 17 off 8 balls, while spin-demolisher Heinrich Klaasen was checked for 18 off 10 balls before getting dismissed right when he needed to accelerate.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan tried to fight fire with fire, striking a rapid 33 off 11 deliveries, but his dismissal cracked open the fragile middle-order. Smaran Ravichandran struggled heavily with a 4-ball 1, and though Nitish Kumar Reddy (38 off 20) and impact sub Salil Arora (35 off 21) injected some fight, they were always crawling behind an astronomical required run rate that surged past 15 runs per over.

Rajasthan's bowling attack was ruthless on the Mullanpur track, executing perfect defensive lines to clamp down on the chasing side. Jofra Archer was a constant threat, ripping through the middle to finish with clinical figures of 3/58. Ravindra Jadeja provided tactical strangulation, finishing with 2/21 in his 3 overs and picking up the crucial late wicket of Salil Arora to put a definitive cap on the game.