Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is fast becoming one of the IPL’s most talked-about mysteries. At just 15, the teenager’s performances have left fans and former players searching for explanations—some even joking that he must be powered by an “AI chip” in his bat. The reality, though, is simpler and more astonishing: he is producing numbers and moments that feel impossible for someone so young. After eight matches, Sooryavanshi has already amassed 400 runs, making him the quickest to reach that tally in a single IPL season. With the Orange Cap race heating up, he is also only 38 runs behind the current top-scorer, Abhishek Sharma, and the way he has sustained his impact suggests he could challenge for—and potentially even win—the award at a record-breaking age.
AI jokes, bold replies and a growing buzz
The hype around Sooryavanshi has spilled well beyond standard cricket talk. A few days ago, Pakistani cricket analyst Nauman Niaz playfully suggested that the youngster might be using an AI chip in his bat to generate extra power. Sooryavanshi responded in his own style, saying that God had naturally gifted him that ability. Still, the idea refuses to go away, and the conversation has spread even among big names within the IPL.
In a recent chat, Gujarat Titans batter Jos Buttler admitted he sometimes wonders if the boy wonder is real. Buttler’s reaction is rooted in how impressed he was when he met Sooryavanshi early in this season’s IPL—calling him the best player he has ever seen. Yet, even after seeing him up close, Buttler admitted the level of audacity and fearlessness shown by the teenager is so striking that it sparked another message that has since made headlines.
Buttler’s message to Jofra Archer
Buttler revealed that he even texted Jofra Archer, Sooryavanshi’s Rajasthan Royals teammate, to ask whether the reports were true. Speaking to Stuart Broad on the ‘For the Love of Cricket’ podcast, Buttler said he asked Archer directly whether Sooryavanshi was “AI” and whether Elon Musk had created the teenage sensation. Buttler then quickly clarified his own point: the youngster is real, and he is brilliant to watch. He added that there is a strong chance Sooryavanshi could feature in England this summer.
How Sooryavanshi is handling the spotlight
For many young stars, a second season can bring pressure and a drop in form, but Sooryavanshi has shown no signs of that problem. If anything, his level has only risen. Scoring runs and dominating the opposition is one side of batting greatness; facing elite bowling and still taking the game apart is another. In Sooryavanshi’s case, he has managed both—with an extra twist that stands out even more.
A special kind of statement against top fast bowling
Buttler highlighted the most astonishing aspect of Sooryavanshi’s early impact: he has not merely survived against some of the finest fast bowlers of the era—he has taken them for six on the first ball. The list includes Jasprit Bumrah, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, three of the best fast bowlers in contemporary cricket. Buttler noted that this will likely remain a baffling trivia point for years, but he also suggested it could become a defining memory linked to Sooryavanshi’s rise.
- Sooryavanshi has reached 400 runs in eight IPL matches, becoming the fastest to do so in a single season.
- He is 38 runs behind Abhishek Sharma at the top of the Orange Cap standings.
- Buttler believes Sooryavanshi has the potential to become the youngest-ever Orange Cap winner by season’s end.
- He has already struck first-ball sixes off Jasprit Bumrah, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins.
Buttler’s explanation of the “exclusive club” moment
Buttler recalled a moment that helped explain just how rare the feat is. He said that in the IPL he spends time scrolling on his phone, and while doing so he came across a Sunrisers post-match wrap-up from a match earlier in the season. In that video, the team were handing out awards and speaking to Pat Cummins after his first game of the year. Buttler remembered James Franklin telling Cummins that he had joined a very exclusive club alongside Bumrah and Hazlewood.
According to Buttler, the key detail was that Cummins’ first ball to Sooryavanshi also went for six. Buttler described his reaction at the time—thinking about what kind of club it could be—before Franklin delivered the explanation. From that point, the pattern became clear: from the first three balls Sooryavanshi faced from Hazlewood, Bumrah and Cummins, he deposited each one over the ropes for a maximum.
- Franklin’s message to Cummins framed the event as joining an “exclusive club” with Bumrah and Hazlewood.
- The common thread: Cummins, like the others, conceded a first-ball six to Sooryavanshi.
- Buttler said Sooryavanshi launched each of Hazlewood, Bumrah and Cummins for six on the very first ball he faced them.
The coach-to-15-year-old imagination
Buttler finished by putting the moment into a vivid perspective. He suggested how extraordinary it would be to imagine a coach telling a 15-year-old that the bowlers he is facing are among the very best in the world—and then watching that teenager launch every one of them out of the ground on the first delivery. For Buttler, that image captures why Sooryavanshi’s start to the season feels so unreal, and why the record chase may continue to grow beyond the Orange Cap as the tournament goes on.
