Rajasthan Royals’ teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi says his ambitions go beyond chasing big names. The 15-year-old RR batter wants to overhaul West Indies icon Chris Gayle’s landmark 175*—the top individual score in T20 cricket—and, even more boldly, to be the first player to register a double century in the format.
Sooryavanshi’s targets and the Gayle benchmark
Sooryavanshi shared his goals during an appearance on Kevin Pietersen’s YouTube show, “The Switch”. When Pietersen asked him about whether he enjoys celebrating his half-centuries, the RR youngster replied: “No, not that much (on celebrating 50s).”
He then laid out what he truly wants to achieve: “I want to score 200 in T20s. I want to break Gayle’s record.”
Gayle’s record-setting 175* came for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2013 encounter against the now-defunct Pune Warriors India. That innings arrived off 66 balls and featured 13 fours and 17 sixes, at a strike rate of 265.15. Gayle also reached his century in just 30 deliveries, a milestone that remains the quickest IPL century to date.
A runaway IPL season
After debuting in the IPL last year as the youngest player in the tournament at the age of 14, Sooryavanshi has been building a standout campaign. This season, he has amassed 583 runs across 14 matches, averaging 41.64 with a strike rate of 232.27. His tally includes a century and three fifties, with a highest score of 103.
In the power-hitting department, Sooryavanshi has struck 53 sixes this year—more than any other Indian in a single IPL edition. He is also seven strikes away from surpassing Gayle’s 2012 mark of 59 sixes.
Last year’s statement knocks
In the previous IPL season, Sooryavanshi smashed a 35-ball century versus Gujarat Titans, a feat described as the quickest century by an Indian in IPL history. That knock also made him the youngest T20 centurion ever.
U19 World Cup fireworks
Sooryavanshi’s rise continued at the U19 World Cup this year, where he finished as the second-highest run-scorer. He collected 439 runs in seven matches, striking at 169.49 while maintaining an average of 62.71. His output included a century and three fifties, with a best score of 175.
He also set a six-hitting standard, clouting 30 sixes in the competition. That total comfortably surpassed Dewald Brevis’ 18 sixes from the 2022 edition, and the record has him holding the benchmark for the most sixes in U19 World Cup history.
On top of that, Sooryavanshi is India’s leading run-getter in U19 ODIs, having scored 1,412 runs in 25 innings at 56.48. His strike rate is over 165, with four centuries and seven fifties, and again his best score is 175.
From late-2024 headlines to IPL’s youngest deal
Since October 2024, Sooryavanshi’s story has been one headline after another. He first drew national attention with a 58-ball century for India U19 against Australia U19 in Chennai—described as the fastest century by an India U19 batter in Youth Tests.
Then, ahead of the 2025 IPL mega auction, he earned a contract worth Rs 1.1 crore with Rajasthan Royals, which also made him the youngest player ever to be signed in the league.
In an IPL match against Gujarat Titans at the age of 14, he became the youngest T20 centurion and also the first Indian to hit the fastest fifty in IPL history.
Beginning with impact, then turning into records
Sooryavanshi started his IPL journey with a first-ball six, quickly positioning himself as one of the season’s emerging young stars. In his early run, he scored 252 runs in seven innings, averaging 36.00 and striking at 206.55, with a century and a fifty to his name. From there, it has been a string of record moments wherever he has played.
- He made headlines in July last year with a 52-ball century against England, becoming the youngest and fastest U19 centurion of all time.
- In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) season last year, he produced a 61-ball 108 against Maharashtra, which earned him the title of youngest centurion in tournament history.
- In the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) last year, he smashed an 84-ball 190 against Arunachal Pradesh, becoming the youngest List A centurion and also the second-fastest List A centurion among Indians.
