Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continues to go from strength to strength, and there’s no stopping the boy wonder. The 15-year-old on Wednesday broke Chris Gayle’s long-standing record to register the most number of sixes in a single edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Rajasthan Royals’ opening batter achieved the feat against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator in Mullanpur. Gayle had hit 59 sixes in the 2012 edition of the IPL, and Sooryavanshi took just 15 matches to break this record in the 2026 season of the T20 tournament.
Sooryavanshi dispatched Sakib Hussain for back-to-back sixes on the final two deliveries of the fourth over, and en route, he ended up breaking Gayle’s record. It is important to mention that Gayle has the most maximums in the history of the tournament (357).
Moreover, the opening batter also became the youngest player in the history of the tournament to register more than 600 runs, breaking Rishabh Pant’s record (2018). The record-breaking spree didn’t end there; he also registered the joint-fastest fifty in IPL playoff history, achieving it in just 16 balls.
Sooryavanshi eventually scored 97 runs off 29 balls, including five fours and 12 sixes. He was in touching distance of hitting the fastest IPL century, but ended up losing his wicket off the bowling of Praful Hinge on the final delivery of the eighth over. After being dismissed, Sooryavanshi was extremely upset, and he walked off the pitch ever so slowly. Even his teammates Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel were too in absolute shock.
The teen sensation did not take a backward step in the knockout match against the Sunrisers, coming out all guns blazing. He even hit Pat Cummins, the Hyderabad captain, for 25 runs in a single over. In the third over, Sooryavanshi slammed three consecutive sixes off the bowling of Australia’s ODI and Test captain.
In the powerplay, Sooryavanshi dominated the Sunrisers bowlers, and Yashasvi Jaiswal had to play second fiddle. The young opening batter did not let any bowler settle, hitting Cummins, Eshan Malinga, and Sakib for fun.
What happened at the toss?
In the Eliminator, Sunrisers captain Cummins won the toss and opted to bowl. However, the move backfired at first as Sooryavanshi took the SRH bowling attack to task. The youngster’s onslaught helped the Royals post 80 runs in the power play, and Cummins was forced to take the strategic time-out as soon as the first six overs got done with.
Sooryavanshi has been the Royals’ biggest match-winner in the IPL 2026 season, and his form has been the biggest reason the Riyan Parag-led side has made it to the playoffs. The youngster’s form also helped him earn a place in the India A squad for the upcoming 50-over Tri-Series in Sri Lanka.
Coming back to the contest between SRH and RR, the winner of the match between the Sunrisers and Royals will face the Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2 in Mullanpur on Friday.
