The latest headline-grabber in IPL 2026 has arrived, and it has come with immense heartbreak. Rajasthan Royals’ opening batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi took everyone by storm by slamming an astonishing 97 off merely 29 deliveries in the Eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad but couldn’t get close to breaking his century record by only three runs. In the aftermath of his innings, the Indian T20 team captain, Suryakumar Yadav, backed the 15-year-old batter in a tweet, calling him “a star in the making.” The tweet was soon one of the most talked-about things of the playoff match as Sooryavanshi proved himself through his fearless batting.
Suryakumar wrote on X after the match, “Chin up boy… what a CLASS inning, you’ve taken everyone’s breath away. Star in the making.”
Sooryavanshi’s innings completely turned the tables around in Mullanpur. His aggressive inning comprised a total of twelve sixes and five fours at a strike rate higher than 334 while chasing a tough target. Although he fell prey to the opposition during the process, his innings was still the most decisive part of that game. Above all, this innings highlighted the fact that Sooryavanshi has already earned his status among the most influential cricketers of IPL 2026.
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India Call Starts Looking Real for Sooryavanshi
The debates regarding Sooryavanshi’s debut for India have moved beyond just the fan community. Even former players and established cricket players have taken sides and endorsed the young man’s potential to receive higher honors. It became even more evident following a post by Suryakumar Yadav on social media platforms where he encouraged Sooryavanshi to remain positive following the near century score and congratulated him on the great innings. The youngster has been putting together an impressive campaign in the Indian Premier League. He has amassed 680 runs along with a century and four half-centuries and leads the Orange Cap table. In addition, the youngster’s strike rate of 242.86 is quite commendable compared to other batters in the league. Furthermore, the 15-year-old Sooryavanshi broke Chris Gayle’s record of sixes scored in an IPL season. He has hit a total of 65 sixes compared to Gayle’s 59 in 2012.
What has impressed observers even more is the speed at which those runs have come. Gayle needed 456 deliveries to reach his tally in 2012. Sooryavanshi crossed that mark in only 266 balls. However, despite the growing excitement, some former India cricketers have advised caution. They believe the youngster should not be rushed into senior international cricket too early. For now, he is expected to join the India A squad for the Sri Lanka tri-series after the IPL.
How Sooryavanshi Took Apart SRH’s Bowling Attack
Sunrisers Hyderabad tried multiple plans against the RR opener, but none worked for long. Captain Pat Cummins kept changing fields and rotating bowlers after almost every over. Yorkers, bouncers, slower deliveries and wide lines outside off stump were all tested. Yet Sooryavanshi continued attacking from the first ball. Anything pitched full disappeared straight down the ground. Short deliveries were cut over third man, while balls drifting onto the pads were flicked over fine leg. The teenager attacked experienced bowlers with the same confidence he had shown earlier in the season against Jasprit Bumrah, Josh Hazlewood and Kagiso Rabada.
The innings also nearly created IPL history. Sooryavanshi missed the fastest IPL hundred by only three runs before getting dismissed on 97. Later, he admitted he did not even know he was close to the record during the knock.
