What started as a playful jibe about cricket’s newest teenage power-hitter has quickly turned into a full-blown internet punchline. Fans have been having a field day with the suggestion that Rajasthan Royals batting prospect Vaibhav Sooryavanshi isn’t just talented, but “AI-powered” — a storyline that has bounced from one dressing-room conversation to another, gathering more jokes along the way.
How the “AI chip” joke began
- Pakistan cricket analyst Nouman Niaz kicked off the humour by joking that the 15-year-old Sooryavanshi had an AI chip installed inside him, claiming it was the reason behind his massive six-hitting.
- Sooryavanshi leaned into the bit, replying that the “chip” was put in by God and that he was simply taking full advantage of the chances he receives.
- As the banter spread, Gujarat Titans star Jos Buttler stepped into the conversation with his own light-hearted version of events.
Buttler, speaking to former England pacer Stuart Broad on the For the Love of Cricket podcast, explained that he had even messaged Rajasthan Royals pacer Jofra Archer with a teasing question about whether Sooryavanshi was “AI-generated.” In Buttler’s retelling, the exchange was half joke and half genuine admiration for the teenager’s impact.
In that same conversation, Buttler also suggested Sooryavanshi’s performances could soon put him on the radar for England. He said there is a real possibility the exciting young batter could feature in England during the summer.
Sooryavanshi’s recent big-match form
- Last season, Sooryavanshi made headlines by scoring his maiden — and fastest by an Indian in IPL history — hundred against Gujarat Titans in 2025.
- He backed that up this season with another century, this time against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Buttler’s Pat Cummins anecdote: “exclusive club”
Buttler didn’t stop at the AI jokes. He also recalled a funny moment involving SRH captain Pat Cummins, pointing out that Sooryavanshi has already taken on a select group of top-class bowlers with striking ease.
Buttler said he was browsing Instagram when he came across SRH’s post-match wrap-up from that game. He explained that the franchise was discussing Pat Cummins after his first match of the season, and that James Franklin told Cummins he had joined an “exclusive club” alongside Jasprit Bumrah and Josh Hazlewood.
Buttler added that he instantly wondered what the club was, until Franklin revealed the detail: the first ball Cummins bowled to Sooryavanshi had gone for six.
Then Buttler expanded on the theme, noting that from his first three deliveries faced against Hazlewood, Bumrah and Cummins — all regarded as top-tier bowlers — Sooryavanshi had deposited every one of them over the boundary. Buttler called it outrageous and described the kind of scenario where a coach might tell a 15-year-old to study those bowlers, only for the teenager to launch them out of the ground immediately.
For Buttler, if Sooryavanshi goes on to rewrite more records in his career, that particular “six on the first ball” sequence may be among his favourite achievements — not because it sounds like technology, but because it looks like pure audacity at the crease.
