15-Year-Old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Admits His Only Goal is to Win the IPL, Not Break Fastest Hundred Record

With his 97-run knock against SRH, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi became the first teenager to score over 600 runs in a single T20 tournament.

15-Year-Old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Admits His Only Goal is to Win the IPL, Not Break Fastest Hundred Record

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi spoke about breaking IPL records, and his mindset behind it. (via NDTV Sports)

In Short
  • Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, a 15-year-old cricketer, aims to win the IPL rather than break the fastest hundred record.
  • He scored 97 runs off 29 balls, leading Rajasthan Royals to a victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL Eliminator.
  • Former cricketer Ambati Rayudu advises Yashasvi Jaiswal to leave Rajasthan Royals to avoid being overshadowed by Sooryavanshi.

While it is a commonly held belief that maturity comes with age, Rajasthan Royals opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is an exception. The 15-year-old made an insightful remark after scoring 97 runs off just 29 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL Eliminator.

The ongoing 2026 IPL season has been Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s reckoning, with the left-hander leading the race to secure the Orange Cap. Across 15 matches, he has accumulated 680 runs at an average of 45.33 and an astonishing strike-rate of 242.86, which includes one century and four half-centuries. He helped the Men in Pink secure a 47-run win over SRH in the pivotal Eliminator clash in New Chandigarh.

RR, after being put to bat first, posted 243/8 in their 20 overs, spearheaded by Sooryavanshi’s blistering 97 runs off just 29 balls, which included 12 sixes and 5 fours, at a strike-rate of 334.48. SRH found it difficult to chase down the 244-run target, as they eventually folded for 196 runs in 19.2 overs. For RR, Jofra Archer picked up a three-wicket haul, while Nandre Burger, Sushant Mishra, and Ravindra Jadeja scalped two wickets each.  

Not only did Vaibhav Sooryavanshi win the POTM award, but he also edged his way past a number of records. Apart from breaking Chris Gayle’s long-standing record of most sixes in a single IPL season, he also came close to recording another milestone, the fastest hundred in IPL history. The left-hander was a hit away from going past Gayle’s 30-ball record from 2012, before being dismissed by Praful Hinge.

Speaking after the match, the Bihar-born prodigy was asked about narrowly missing out on Gayle’s 2012 record, to which he admitted that he only got to know about it after he got out. The RR talent emphasized that his focus was on hitting sixes and contributing to the team’s total, before thoughtfully assessing that centuries would keep coming.

Furthermore, Sooryavanshi declared that he is only focused on winning the IPL this season, and shared that he works according to his plan and strives to keep improving. He said at the post-match presentation ceremony:

I found out [about Chris Gayle’s record] only after I got out. At that time, my only focus was to contribute as much as I could because centuries will keep happening, but right now the focus is on how to win the trophy.

A former U-19 World Cup winner, Sooryavanshi, elaborated on his specific strategy for dealing with opposing bowlers and how he manages to exert pressure on them. Up next, RR will aim to overcome GT in Qualifier 2 on May 29th in New Chandigarh.

RELATED
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, 15, Breaks Chris Gayle’s 14-Year-Old IPL Record

Former India cricketer urges Yashasvi Jaiswal to leave RR to escape Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s shadow

Following Sanju Samson’s exit, many had anticipated that Yashasvi Jaiswal would emerge as the face of RR. However, he finds himself relegated to a second fiddle, overshadowed by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, something that prompted a former Indian cricketer to share advice.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Yashasvi Jaiswal
Yashasvi Jaiswal has been urged to leave RR to move out of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s shadow. (via India Today)

After a breakthrough 2023 IPL campaign, where he scored 625 runs in 14 matches, including a hundred and five fifties, Jaiswal was touted to even captain RR in the future. Fast forward to 2026, and he remains in the shadows, despite having scored over 400 runs this season. The 24-year-old has been outperformed by the 15-year-old, who has taken the cricketing world by storm with his power-hitting prowess. 

Sooryavanshi’s rise has put Jaiswal at a crossroads. Former Indian cricketer Ambati Rayudu, keeping in mind the 24-year-old’s struggle to keep his identity intact, urged him to step out of the teenager’s shadow.

Rayudu insisted that Jaiswal’s talent should not be forced into competition with his opening partner. He urged him to find a new environment, specifically mentioning the Mumbai Indians as a possible destination.

He [Yashasvi Jaiswal] needs to change his team. Because he cannot just bat with the guy and be overshadowed. He’s a star in his own right. If he goes to another team, he will win matches on his own… Mumbai Indians is a good team.

Rumors are rife that the five-time IPL champions might be interested in securing Jaiswal’s services. As the left-handed batsman plays his domestic cricket for Mumbai, joining MI would represent a return to the city where his cricketing career began.

Read More: