Having been released by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) ahead of IPL 2026 and going unsold in the auction, Swastik Chikara turned on beast in the Ayodhya Premier League.
Playing for Gomti Thunder against the Hindon Titans, Chikara smashed a stunning 195* off only 69 deliveries, laced with 11 fours and 21 sixes, leaving the fans stunned.
Swastik Chikara didn’t get a game for RCB in IPL 2026
The 20-year-old was bought by the Royal Challengers for his base price of ₹30 lakh in the auction ahead of IPL 2025 but warmed the bench for the entire season. He was then released by the defending champions ahead of IPL 2026 auction and didn’t find any takers during the bidding process. Born in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, the right-handed batter had topped the run-scoring charts in the Uttar Pradesh T20 League in 2024, clattering 499 runs 12 innings at 49.90. Chikara seemingly got an IPL contract based on that performance. He also performed well in the following edition in 2025, accumulating 370 runs in 13 outings at 30.83.
Nevertheless, the youngster went hammer and tongs against the Hindon Titans, stitching an unbroken stand of 307 with Priyanshu Pandey, who made an unbeaten 100. Their score stood at 307/0 at the end of 20 overs. No Titans bowlers were spared, with their captain Akash Rana leaking an eye-watering 79 runs in his four overs.
Hindon Titans fold for 218 in response
With an improbable 308 set for the Titans to win, Shekhar Sirohi was the standout batter for them, hammering 68 off 33 deliveries with four fours and six maximums. Nevertheless, all they managed was 218 by batting 19.3 overs. Chikara also sent down three overs with the ball but it costed 39 runs without a wicket. But the Thunder won by 89 runs.
RCB to be in action on first day of IPL 2026
As for the Royal Challengers, they will be in action on the first day of IPL 2026, facing the SunRisers Hyderabad at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The Bengaluru-based franchise got to lay their hands on the coveted trophy for the first time last year after beating the Punjab Kings in the final by six runs.
Due to the state elections in West Bengal, Kerala, Assam and Tamil Nadu, the BCCI has announced the schedule only for the first 20 games of the cash-rich tournament.