Suryavanshi and Jurel blitz Bengaluru to keep Rajasthan unbeaten in IPL

GUWAHATI, India (AP) — Another breathtaking innings by 15-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi led unbeaten Rajasthan Royals to comfortably overhaul titleholder Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League on Friday.

Bengaluru recovered from 125-7 in the 14th over to set a decent target of 202.

But Suryavanshi's 78, including another 15-ball half-century, and Dhruv Jurel's unbeaten 81 off 43 balls drove Rajasthan to 202-4 and a six-wicket victory with two overs to spare.

Suryavanshi rocketed the chase with 70 in a stand of 108 off 37 balls with Jurel. They were a season-best 97-1 after the powerplay.

Bengaluru threw test bowlers Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar at Suryavanshi and the kid tore them apart. He got off the mark with a boundary by squeezing a yorker back past Kumar, and welcomed Hazlewood's first ball of the season with a six over deep backward point. Hazlewood's second over was tagged by Suryavanshi for 4-4-4-6.

“We just cannot believe how someone can hit it like that,” Jurel said. “We think we can not hit like that. He is a great talent.”

The youngster smashed seven sixes and eight boundaries at a strike rate of 300 in his second fifty of the young season.

“I try to play the ball and not the bowler, and play my game,” Suryavanshi said. “My dad, my coaches ... they keep telling me that the journey is long and to focus on my process and my game, without diverting my mind.”

By the time he was caught at long on, and the crowd rose to applaud his spectacular effort, the chase was as good as over at 129-2 in the ninth over.

Jurel combined with Ravindra Jadeja to finish the inevitable. Jurel's second fifty this season included three sixes and eight boundaries.

Rajasthan topped the table with four wins from four games while Bengaluru was third with a game in hand.

Rain forced the start to be delayed for more than an hour, and Bengaluru was reduced to 61-3 in the powerplay.

As wickets fell to Jofra Archer and Ravi Bishnoi, Virat Kohli kept the strike rate up and captain Rajat Patidar top-scored with 63 off 40 balls. But when Bengaluru slipped to 125-7, Ventakesh Iyer was brought in as an impact substitute and it paid off as 76 runs were plundered off the last six overs.

Iyer’s quickfire 29 off 15 balls helped Bengaluru reach 201-8.

“The way we started in the powerplay, to get to 200 is a positive sign for us,” Patidar said. “The way their batters, especially Vaibhav, batted in the powerplay, it made the difference.”

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Virat Kohli bowled out during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati, India, Friday, April 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's captain Rajat Patidar hits a six during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati, India, Friday, April 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

dRajasthan Royals' Vaibhav Sooryavanshi celebrates his fifty runs uring the Indian Premier League cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati, India, Friday, April 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Rajasthan Royals' Dhruv Jurel hits a boundary during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati, India, Friday, April 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Rajasthan Royals' Vaibhav Sooryavanshi plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati, India, Friday, April 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

NEW YORK (AP) — In his first 100 days in office, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has governed with a star power unusual in politics.

Crowds of supporters show up to his news conferences. Basic municipal services have been infused with newfound excitement. Celebrities help him promote his agenda.

In the process, he's been able to notch a few notable early wins. And he's reached a detente, at least for now, with President Donald Trump, a mercurial leader with an affinity for celebrities.

But as Mamdani, a Democrat, marks an early milestone in his mayoralty, it remains to be seen whether he’ll be able to leverage his fame into achieving the progressive policy proposals that propelled him to office.

Though he still has staunch critics, many of whom still view his past criticisms of the police department and Israel as major problems, Mamdani has been able to ease concerns among at least some skeptics.

“It's early but so far, so good,” said Jay Jacobs, chair of the state's Democratic Party, who made waves for not endorsing Mamdani during the election. “We may not agree on everything philosophically, but he is getting the job done.”

As the mayor approached his 100th day — long a benchmark for judging an administration's opening vision — his team has moved to highlight the administration's commitment to the everyday responsibilities of the job.

While much of those duties are typical for his local office — picking up trash, plowing snow and filling potholes — the 34-year-old mayor has leaned on his knack for viral content creation to drive interest and awareness of government programs.

To hype up his child care program for 2-year-olds, Mamdani recruited Cardi B to help judge a jingle contest that will determine the initiative's theme song. His slick social media videos helped recruit thousands of new snow shovelers as a storm bore down on the city. A public service announcement he made brought more than 50,000 new subscribers to the city's emergency alert system in a single week.

A few weeks ago, alongside Natasha Cloud of the New York Liberty, Mamdani announced a bracket-style competition where people could vote on small projects for him to come and personally fix on his 100th day.

On Friday, Mamdani selected a winner — a garbage-filled lot in the Bronx — and helped pick up some of the junk with a sanitation crew, following a celebratory event that featured an overflowing trash can mascot and a cheerleading squad.

“I think every single day it's an opportunity to meet the needs of New Yorkers,” he said. “And what we've seen over the course of this 100 days is that New York City wants to see a city government that is able to meet the biggest needs and the smallest needs.”

The celebrity status, though, can also prompt backlash. During a bitter cold snap, his surprise appearance on “The Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon was seen by some as insensitive at a moment when the death toll of homeless New Yorkers was rapidly rising.

“Too much styling and profiling,” said Curtis Sliwa, a Republican who ran against Mamdani during last year's election, noting longstanding problems with street homelessness, public housing and infrastructure.

Still, Sliwa, who hammered Mamdani during the campaign but recently appeared in a comedy skit with the mayor during the City Hall press corps' annual roast, appeared to give Mamdani some credit, even if it came with a caveat.

“We just had Eric Adams, swagger man who'd party to the break of dawn, and now we have a guy who seems like he’s got a normal working schedule,” said Sliwa, referencing the city's previous mayor. “So having Zohran as the alternative, I think for a lot of people even if they disagree with him, there’s some stability.”

On the night of Mamdani’s election party, hundreds packed the streets, some spontaneously, waiting for a glimpse of the mayor-elect leaving the venue. Departing campaign aides were cheered, by name, well after midnight. One attendee likened the street party to Beatlemania.

“I feel like I’m at a presidential inauguration,” said Medhavie Agnihotri, a 25-year-old tech consultant. “This is the first time in a while I’ve felt this hope.”

His star power has not appeared to wane since then.

Outside City Hall, New Yorkers and tourists frequently stop for selfies, peering through the iron gates in search of the mayor.

This week, on the mayor’s 97th day in office, a crowd gathered in the lobby of the busy Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan to watch as Mamdani announced the city would start transferring Rikers Island jail detainees with serious medical illnesses to a specialized unit at the hospital.

He entered to woos and applause from the onlookers, as many held up cellphones to record videos of the mayor. Dozens more watched along from a set of elevated walkways.

One man, Ricardo Granados, a 67-year-old retiree, was on his way to take his son to a medical appointment but stopped to see what all the hubbub was about just before the news conference started. He appeared delighted to learn the mayor was going to show up, saying he met Mamdani previously when Mamdani was campaigning in his neighborhood.

“I’m extremely fond of him. I think he’s going to make a real difference,” Granados said. “He wants to find out who needs what and he wants to help.”

AP writer Jake Offenhartz contributed to this story

FILE - New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Department of Transportation workers fix a bump near the Williamsburg Bridge on Jan. 6, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)

FILE - New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani arrives as nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)

FILE - New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks with Midori Valdivia, Chair of Taxi and Limousine Commission, at a Ramadan Iftar hosted by his team at the New York Taxi Workers Association, March 18, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis, File)

FILE - New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani arrives at the subway station in the Queens borough of New York, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez, File)

FILE - New York Attorney General Letitia James, left, administers the oath of office to mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, center, as his wife Rama Duwaji looks on, Jan. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)