NEW DELHI: A day after Vaibhav Sooryavanshi quashed the absurd “AI chip in the bat” chatter with a cheeky response, the teenage batting sensation has sparked even more online buzz—this time through a playful revelation involving Jos Buttler. The England captain, speaking on a podcast alongside Stuart Broad, said he even reached out to Jofra Archer with a joking question about whether the 15-year-old prodigy is “real” or some sort of technological creation.
Buttler’s joke: texting Jofra about the “AI” claim
Buttler described how his curiosity got the better of him, adding a humorous twist to the already viral debate surrounding Sooryavanshi’s extraordinary IPL 2026 form. He said the conversation began as a laugh, but the disbelief was clear in the way he framed the question.
“I actually texted Jofra and asked, ‘Is he AI? Has Elon Musk created this teenage sensation who is just a wizard with the bat?’” Buttler said, then broke into laughter. The light-hearted remark captured the wider reaction to Sooryavanshi’s outrageous output, where what looks impossible has started to feel almost routine for the teenager.
Sooryavanshi’s “God-gifted” answer to the AI-rumour
The Buttler episode follows closely after Sooryavanshi himself addressed the growing talk about an “AI chip” inside his bat. When asked about the claim, the Rajasthan Royals teenager responded with a grin, saying:
“Bhagwaan ne laga ke diya hai. Upar hi bola tha ki bat mein tumhare kuch laga ke de raha hoon. Ussi ka istemaal kar raha hoon [God has implanted it and told me he is putting something in my bat. I am just using that.”
The witty reply, widely shared online, only intensified the fascination around him. Fans have increasingly framed Sooryavanshi as a player who is not merely performing well—but actively rewriting expectations with each appearance.
Fearlessness with the bat: Buttler highlights the “ball-one” mindset
While Buttler’s comments began with humour, he soon shifted to genuine admiration for Sooryavanshi’s fearlessness—particularly his willingness to challenge top-tier bowling immediately rather than easing into a match.
- Buttler pointed to Sooryavanshi’s early-impact hitting against elite pacers.
- He highlighted that, from the first three balls he faced versus Hazlewood, Bumrah and Cummins, Sooryavanshi cleared the ropes for six on each occasion.
- Buttler called the feat “outrageous,” stressing how rare such boldness is from a player of that age.
Buttler added that the mindset behind it feels almost unreal—imagining a coach telling a 15-year-old to simply watch the ball, only for the youngster to decide to launch it straight away.
“You can imagine a coach telling a 15-year-old to just watch a ball — and he’s decided to launch each one out of the ground first ball. That’s extraordinary.”
Sooryavanshi’s numbers: fastest to 400 in an IPL season
As the hype grows, the statistics are doing the talking. Sooryavanshi has recently become the quickest batter in IPL history to reach 400 runs in a season, achieving the landmark in just 167 balls.
- He broke the previous record held by Andre Russell, who reached 400 in 188 balls during 2019.
- He has scored 400 runs in nine matches at a strike rate above 230.
- His tally includes 37 sixes.
With those numbers, Sooryavanshi is no longer just a breakout name—he is emerging as the defining storyline of IPL 2026, turning every outing into a new talking point and pushing the boundaries of what a teenager can deliver in T20 cricket.
