IPL 2026: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scripts history, becomes first-ever Indian batter to...

NEW DELHI: Teen sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi on Tuesday continued his extraordinary rise in IPL 2026 by becoming the first Indian batter in tournament history to smash 50 or more sixes in a single season.

The 15-year-old achieved the landmark during a breathtaking innings for Rajasthan Royals against Lucknow Super Giants at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.




Sooryavanshi’s explosive 93 off just 38 balls lit up the contest as the youngster tore apart the LSG bowling attack with fearless strokeplay. His innings included seven fours and 10 towering sixes at a staggering strike rate of 244.74 before he narrowly missed out on a sensational century.

The young batter now sits second on the all-time list for most sixes in a single IPL season with 53 maximums, trailing only Chris Gayle’s iconic 59 sixes from the 2012 season.

He has already gone past power-hitters like Andre Russell, Jos Buttler and Abhishek Sharma, underlining the scale of his achievement at such a young age.

Most sixes in an IPL season

• 59 - Chris Gayle (2012)
• 53* - Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (2026)
• 52 - Andre Russell (2019)
• 51 - Chris Gayle (2013)
• 45 - Jos Buttler (2022)
• 44 - Chris Gayle (2011)
• 42 - Abhishek Sharma (2024)

Sooryavanshi’s innings came during a tense chase after LSG piled up a daunting 220/5, powered by a brutal 96 from Mitchell Marsh and a rapid 60 from Josh Inglis. RR needed a strong response in a must-win encounter to keep their playoff hopes alive, and the teenager delivered immediately.

After Yashasvi Jaiswal’s quick-fire 43 helped Rajasthan race to 75 inside seven overs, Sooryavanshi completely shifted gears.

Highest strike-rate in an IPL season (min 500+ runs)

• 236.3 - Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (2026)*
• 204.8 - Andre Russell (2019)
• 202.0 - Abhishek Sharma (2026)
• 196.2 - Nicholas Pooran (2025)
• 191.5 - Travis Head (2024)
• 187.7 - Glenn Maxwell (2014)
• 183.1 - Chris Gayle (2011)

He dominated both pace and spin, hammering boundaries all around the ground and bringing the Jaipur crowd to its feet repeatedly.

His stunning knock finally ended in the 14th over when Mohsin Khan deceived him with a slower delivery. Attempting another big hit, Sooryavanshi mistimed the shot and was caught by Abdul Samad at long-on.

Despite missing a deserved hundred, the innings further confirmed Sooryavanshi’s status as one of the brightest young stars Indian cricket has seen in recent years.

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