Vaibhav Sooryavanshi looked like he was playing on another level. Fans could barely breathe as they watched him—just 15 years old and already on 97 runs off 28 balls in the IPL 2026 Eliminator. Three more runs in one shot, and the Rajasthan Royals opener would have smashed Chris Gayle’s record for fastest IPL hundred. But right when it seemed inevitable, Praful Hinge got him out. The scoreboard read 97 from 29 balls, with 12 sixes and 5 fours. So close, yet just out of reach.
After the fireworks, Vaibhav stood out with the Orange Cap, talking about how he ignored the pressure and trusted his instincts. Rajasthan Royals put up 243 for 8 against Sunrisers Hyderabad that night in New Chandigarh.
“Yeah, it was in my head,” he admitted when someone asked if he felt the occasion while batting. “But my coaches kept telling me, ‘Just play your game, go out there and enjoy. Forget about the pressure.’”
Did he want the hundred? Sure, but he wasn’t fixated on it. “Honestly, it wasn’t on my mind like that. I just looked at the fielder and thought I could clear him, but I mistimed it. If I’d aimed for third man, it would’ve gone. I went straight, and that’s why I got out.”
Sunrisers captain Pat Cummins started cautiously—deep square leg, deep midwicket, bowling full and straight to the kid. It almost worked until he pitched one up and Vaibhav sent it flying over mid-off. Rajasthan was just warming up. After the first over they had 9 runs, and then Eshan Malinga and Sakib Hussain took serious punishment.
Vaibhav raced to his fifty in just 16 balls, joining Suresh Raina for the fastest half-century in an IPL playoff. No holding back—he smashed more sixes than anyone in a single T20 tournament, even ahead of Gayle. By the end of four overs, he already had 36 off 10 balls, Rajasthan roaring at 63 without loss.
On the other side, Yashasvi Jaiswal was practically a spectator, making 19 off 16 while Vaibhav took control. The record felt inevitable, but then he tried an uppercut and top-edged it to deep third. Gone for 97. Rajasthan stood at 125 for 1 after eight overs.
But the show didn’t end there. Dhruv Jurel turned up the heat, hammering a 20-ball fifty, going after Cummins and Shivang Kumar with every shot in the book—scoops, pulls, massive sixes. When they reached 192 for 3 in 13.5 overs, wickets suddenly started tumbling—Riyan Parag and Dasun Shanaka both got out quickly.
Still, Donovan Ferreira and Ravindra Jadeja tacked on a quick 20 runs in the end, even as SRH fought back. Nitish Kumar Reddy nailed his wide yorkers, and Abhishek Sharma made a stunning catch on the boundary to send back Jofra Archer.
