Doesn’t matter who wins the IPL 2026 after the next two games. It may be Royal Challengers Bengaluru retaining their title, it may well be Gujarat Titans winning it for the second time in their short history, or Rajasthan may win it for the first time since the inaugural edition, but this year’s Indian Premier League will be remembered for one player- 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
The teen sensation is already the leading run scorer so far in this year’s tournament with 680 runs at an average of 45.33 and a jaw dropping strike rate of 242.85. He has scored 1 century and 4 half centuries during his record breaking run this year. His 97 off just 29 balls in the first qualifier against Sunrisers Hyderabad once again underlined what a special talent Rajasthan Royal have at their disposal. During this remarkable knock, he absolutely demolished West Indian six machine Chris Gayle’s record for the most number of sixes in an IPL season. Vaibhav now has 65 sixes compared to the 59 Gayle hit during the 2012 season.
The knock by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi left even the greats of the games in awe with even the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Sanath Jayasuriya, and Chris Gayle unable to stop themselves from heaping praises on the young boy.
Bought for (what increasingly looks like a bargain) 1.1 Crore Rupees by Rajasthan Royals when he was just 13 years old, Sooryavanshi has definitely repaid the faith shown in him by Royals and then some.
He showed signs of what he can do during the 2025 IPL season when he scored 252 runs at an average of 36 and a strike rate of 206.55. That included a scintillating 101 off 38 balls against Gujarat Titans, an innings that included 11 sixes. This season, he has gone a step further and destroyed every bowling attack that has come his way.
Pat Cummins, one of the finest bowlers of his generation, could only watch and admire as the teenager put him to the sword, smashing sixes off him for fun.
Apart from his stupendous IPL performances, Sooryavanshi has been making waves in under age cricket as well. From making his debut for Bihar Under-19 side at the age of 12 to smashing a 58-ball 100 against Australia Under-19 on his debut to plundering 175 off just 80 balls in Under-19 World Cup Final against England, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s career includes one incredible performance after another.
His performances during this season have meant that Rajasthan, despite a dip in team’s form in the middle of the season, are still in the hunt for the title. They still have to go past Gujarat Titans in the second qualifier with RCB waiting for the winner in the final, but with Sooryavanshi on song, any team facing Rajasthan will be wary of the threat posed by the pocket dynamo.
