Fifteen-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is continuing to reshape IPL history with remarkable comfort, and his spectacular 97 off 29 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2026 Eliminator has quickly become one of the most punishing innings of the tournament. The Rajasthan Royals opener produced the second-best strike rate for any IPL knock of 70 runs or more, placing his blazing run alongside some of the league’s most memorable batting displays.
Key takeaways
- Sooryavanshi’s 97-run knock came at a strike rate of 335 in the 2026 Eliminator versus Sunrisers Hyderabad.
- The innings ranks as the second-highest IPL strike rate for any batter scoring 70-plus runs, sitting behind Suresh Raina’s 87 off 25 in 2014.
- He struck 12 sixes during his stay at the crease, repeatedly taking on Pat Cummins and the SRH attack.
- Sooryavanshi reached fifty in 16 balls and was still on course for a record fastest century before being dismissed for 97.
- Rajasthan set 180/2 in 13 overs, but SRH finished strongly by taking five wickets for only 36 runs in the final five.
A strike rate that rewrote the record book
In the Eliminator at Mullanpur, Sooryavanshi made batting look effortless on a true surface, unsettling SRH’s experienced bowling group. His pace of scoring earned him one of the highest strike rates ever recorded in IPL for a 70-plus score, leaving fans and commentators stunned by how quickly the boundaries kept arriving.
The benchmark list for IPL innings of 70 runs or more with the fastest strike rates reads as follows: Suresh Raina leads with 348 for his 87 off 25 versus Punjab Kings in 2014, while Sooryavanshi sits second with 335 for his 97 off 29 against SRH in 2026. Yusuf Pathan is third on 327, scoring 72 off 22 against SRH in 2014.
How Sooryavanshi dismantled SRH
Sooryavanshi’s assault was built around an unrelenting approach to the six-hitting. He repeatedly overpowered the plans set out against him, sending the ball into the stands with striking ease. Pat Cummins and SRH’s bowlers tried different lines and variations, but the left-hander kept finding ways to punish every release.
When the ball was pitched up, it was met with direct power and sent back over the bowler’s head. Short deliveries were dispatched with timing over third man, while balls arriving on or near his pads were handled just as confidently, clearing the ropes near fine leg. His combination of bat speed and fearlessness left SRH searching for answers throughout the innings.
Not long ago, Sooryavanshi had spoken of an ambitious target—scoring a double century in T20 cricket—an idea that now feels far less unrealistic after seeing how he went about his work in the Eliminator. Although the innings eventually ended before the century mark could be completed, the impact remained enormous.
Near-miss on a century record, and a new season milestone
Sooryavanshi finished with 97 after being caught at third man off Praful Hinge, falling narrowly short of breaking Chris Gayle’s long-standing IPL mark for the quickest century. Even so, his slow walk back to the dressing room reflected disappointment, despite the stadium applauding the magnitude of what he had done.
During the same spell, he also surpassed Gayle’s 14-year-old record for the most sixes in a single IPL season. With this display, Sooryavanshi now has 65 maximums in IPL 2026, underlining how frequently he is turning good starts into boundary-heavy domination.
Rajasthan’s start, and SRH’s late fightback
The innings was blistering from the outset. Sooryavanshi reached his half-century in just 16 balls, with half of those scoring shots clearing the boundary ropes. At the other end, his opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal was held to a run-a-ball 29, leaving Sooryavanshi to carry the scoring burden almost every over.
Dhruv Jurel later contributed strongly with a sharp 50 off 21 balls, but Rajasthan lost momentum in the death overs after reaching 180 for 2 in 13 overs. SRH responded in the final phase by taking five wickets for only 36 runs in the last five, adding late pressure as the innings tightened.
Still, the night belonged to Sooryavanshi. His 335 strike rate now stands just behind Raina’s legendary 2014 playoff demolition of Punjab Kings, keeping the teenager’s name near the very top of IPL batting history.
