That kid Vaibhav Sooryavanshi? Chris Gayle just tipped his hat after the 15-year-old blasted 97 off 29 balls. Facing Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL eliminator, he didn’t hold back – one moment quiet, next moment fireworks. Five boundaries, then twelve huge hits into the stands. His strike rate hovered near 334, wild but real. Once done, he’d passed Gayle’s own record of 59 sixes set back in 2012. Now sitting on 65, that tally marks the highest ever seen across any T20 competition. From Jamaica to Jaipur, respect travelled fast – Gayle shared it loud on Instagram: “Outstanding @Vaibhav_Sooryavanshi09, a new six machine @iplt20.”
For sure, he lifted Sooryavanshi’s spirits after falling short of the quickest IPL century – just 29 balls standing between him and history, a mark still held by Gayle. Though it didn’t happen this time, the belief stayed strong: not quite lucky now, yet arrival seems certain down the road
When it comes to this season, Sooryavanshi stands out with 680 runs across 15 innings, averaging 45.33 while hitting fast – strike rate nears 243. A hundred and four half-centuries make up his tally, topping at 103 not out. Off just 280 deliveries faced, he’s found the ropes 55 times, launched 65 maximums. One boundary every 2.3 balls tells part of the story; a six nearly every 4.3 balls adds more. Most of his scoring? Almost 89 per cent comes from fours and sixes combined. Back in 2019, Andre Russell managed slightly less efficiency – about 85.5 per cent via boundaries during his 510-run campaign for KKR, data shows through CricViz
Four times now, Sooryavanshi matches Gayle’s record for smashing 10 or more sixes in a single IPL knock. This year alone accounts for three of those blasts under floodlights. No one before has ever cleared the ropes like that thrice in just one season.
A teen still climbing past giants, his latest step overtaking Sanath Jayasuriya’s record – not with fanfare, but through quiet force. Eight massive hits before the fifth over, not seven, etched into dirt at Mullanpur. That match back in 2008, MI versus CSK, once held the mark. Now it belongs to a younger hand. Each swing rewrote what felt fixed. Records crack without warning. His name now sits where icons once stood alone.
Out of everyone batting in the IPL powerplay that year, Sooryavanshi ended up scoring more – a total of 490. Ahead of him once stood David Warner, Australia’s big hitter, whose 467 for SRH back in 2016 had held the mark till now.
He now has five half-centuries during the power play in IPL history. Just one man, Warner, has managed more – six – in that phase.
That total puts him alongside Suresh Raina, who scored 87 versus Punjab Kings in 2014, much like Adam Gilchrist’s 74 off Delhi Daredevils back in 2009. During the powerplay of an IPL playoff game, each reached at least fifty. His knock fits right into that group, matching their early aggression when field restrictions applied.
Fifty number five for Sooryavanshi now comes in under twenty deliveries. Above him? Just Abhishek Sharma, sitting on six.
A teenager hit a fifty off just 16 balls, matching Raina’s quickfire half-century back in 2014 against PBKS. That knock still stands equal for the fastest fifty ever seen in an IPL playoff game.
He hit twelve sixes, a record for any Indian in a single IPL playoff match. That total beats Shubman Gill’s ten against Mumbai Indians back in 2023. The feat stands alone at the top for homegrown batters too. Few have sent so many balls sailing into the crowd during one knockout game.
Sooryavanshi’s 97 sits just below Jos Buttler’s 106 back in 2022’s second qualifier versus RCB – the top mark ever by an RR batter in IPL knockout matches. That innings remains unmatched when it comes to individual totals for the franchise in playoff cricket.
He now holds the record for most runs by a player new to the IPL, passing teammate Yashasvi Jaiswal who made 625 in 2023. At such an age, hitting 600 runs in a single season had never happened before.
Out of nowhere, that lefty changed everything. Hitting 600 runs in a T20 competition wasn’t new – but doing it while smashing the ball at over 200 strikes per hundred balls? Nobody else managed that before he showed up.
Out goes SRH, knocked out of the contest now. On Friday, Rajasthan Royals face Gujarat Titans in Qualifier two – winner meets Royal Challengers Bengaluru, last year’s title holders, in the grand finale. GT batted first after being sent in by SRH, but it was RR who took charge fast. Sooryavanshi smashed 97 off just 29 deliveries – five boundaries, twelve maximums lighting up the field. Alongside him, Dhruv Jurel powered through with 50 from 21, including five fours and three towering hits over the ropes. Their fury helped RR post a massive 243 for eight across twenty full overs. Chasing that mountain, SRH crumbled early – slumped to 57 for four even before finishing the powerplay phase. Ishan Kishan tried firecracker shots: 33 runs from 11 balls, three clean fours, three huge sixes – but too little, too soon. The fall came hard once he left. Credit then shifts to the bowlers: Archer ripped through with figures of three wickets for 58, Burger chipped in sharply with two for 26. Together they tore apart SRH’s order, wrapping them up at 196 in only 19.2 overs