Lalit Modi, the architect of the Indian Premier League and a former chairman of the league, has gone as far as to call Vaibhav Sooryavanshi the best “buy” in the tournament’s entire history. The praise followed a breathtaking innings by the 15-year-old, who smashed 97 off just 29 balls for Rajasthan Royals in their Eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2026. Sooryavanshi struck 12 sixes during the knock and, in the process, eclipsed Chris Gayle’s long-standing benchmark for the most maximums in a single IPL season. By the end of his burst of power-hitting, he had moved beyond the West Indies great and set a new season record of 65 sixes.
After the match, Modi shared a clip on X linked to the IPL 2025 auction, highlighting the moment Rajasthan Royals acquired Sooryavanshi for ₹1.1 crore. The former IPL chairman also included tags for both the teenager and the franchise in his post. The Royals had secured him after an intense bidding battle that saw them beat Delhi Capitals to win the race for the young talent.
In the Eliminator, Sooryavanshi’s fireworks nearly turned into a landmark achievement. He was only one strike away from registering the fastest century in IPL history, finishing one hit short as his innings ended at 97 off 29 deliveries. The teenager, playing just his second season in the tournament, entered the game with a reputation for big-hitting and continued to pile on runs, needing a single shot to reach three figures.
The timing of his near-miss was cruelly close. He failed to break the record by one ball, then on the very next delivery he played an upper-cut off a short ball from Praful Hinge. The ball sailed towards deep third man, where R Smaran completed the catch. Sooryavanshi eventually departed after cracking five fours and 12 sixes in his 29-ball knock.
Fastest-century history in the IPL still belongs to Chris Gayle, who holds the mark of a century off 30 balls. Gayle achieved it during his famous 175 off 66 balls for Pune Warriors in IPL 2013, an innings that featured 17 sixes and 13 fours. Sooryavanshi’s rate and power ensured he was always in the conversation, and while he fell just short of Gayle’s speed record, he more than made up for it with his season tally of maximums.
Heading into the Eliminator, Sooryavanshi was six sixes behind Gayle’s all-time IPL seasonal total—Gayle had finished IPL 2012 with 59 maximums. With the 12 sixes he hit against Sunrisers Hyderabad, the Rajasthan batter overtook that mark and went on to reach 65 sixes in IPL 2026. His total also placed him comfortably clear of the next-best count in the tournament, with Abhishek Sharma sitting second on 43 sixes.
This was not the first time Sooryavanshi had produced a rapid big score in IPL history. In IPL 2025, he had recorded the second-fastest century in the league—arriving at 101 off 38 balls, including 11 sixes and seven fours, for Rajasthan Royals against Gujarat Titans. Earlier this season, he also claimed the third-fastest IPL ton, reaching 103 off 36 balls with 12 sixes and five fours in his 37-ball effort against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Even with the Eliminator ending at 97, the knock underlined why Modi’s praise carried such weight—Sooryavanshi’s impact has already translated into records, and his profile continues to rise as IPL 2026 moves through its stages.
