The cricket fraternity is still trying to digest Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s sensational impact in the IPL 2026 Eliminator, and fresh praise has only intensified the spotlight on the 15-year-old. Less than a day after the Rajasthan Royals prodigy tore through Sunrisers Hyderabad with a whirlwind 97 off just 29 balls, former Pakistan batting star Mohammad Yousuf added his voice to the growing chorus by drawing a bold comparison that immediately caught attention.
Yousuf said the youngster reminded him of a youthful Shahid Afridi, posting that Sooryavanshi’s style carries the same brand of fearlessness, power and energy. The message spread quickly, with many framing the comparison as a sign of what could come next for the teenager, whose aggressive approach has become the defining narrative of IPL 2026 so far.
Sooryavanshi’s brutal assault leaves SRH stunned
In the Eliminator at Mullanpur, Rajasthan Royals secured a 47-run win over Hyderabad, with Sooryavanshi at the centre of the damage. The teenager delivered one of the most eye-catching playoff innings in IPL history, striking at an extraordinary rate of 334.48 as he hammered 12 sixes and five fours.
His destructive spell included a moment that underlined the scale of his confidence—he even sent Pat Cummins into the stands by smashing three consecutive sixes in a single over. That barrage helped Rajasthan post 243/8, before SRH were eventually dismissed for 196.
Sooryavanshi narrowly missed another landmark, getting out for 97 while going for yet another big shot. Even without a century, the knock still rewrote multiple benchmarks and further underlined why the teenager has become IPL’s hottest talking point.
New IPL benchmarks set by the teenager
The innings propelled Sooryavanshi to the top of the record books for the most runs by an uncapped batter in a single IPL season. He finished the campaign’s season tally at 680 runs, overtaking Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 625 from 2023.
He also struck 65 sixes in the season, surpassing the long-standing IPL record for the most maximums in an edition that had belonged to Chris Gayle. The combination of volume and impact has made his name synonymous with boundary-hitting at pace.
“My focus was on getting maximum runs for the team”
Despite falling short of the century by just three runs, Sooryavanshi insisted that his mindset during the innings was not about personal milestones. When asked about missing the fastest hundred record, he said he only learned the details after the match, adding that his attention was fixed on clearing the boundary and that future centuries would come, but the immediate priority was piling up runs for the team.
Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag also offered insight into how the franchise manages the youngster’s development. He said the team keeps things simple, avoiding constant discussions and instead giving Sooryavanshi plenty of batting practice so he can play his natural game.
Jofra Archer, who played a key role with the ball in the Eliminator, captured the growing sense of dread among opposing bowlers. He suggested the more Sooryavanshi scores, the bigger the target becomes for everyone else, and that the teenager can even reach numbers as high as 150—an assessment that reflects the fear he is creating across the league.
With Rajasthan Royals set to take on Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2, the cricketing world will be waiting to see if Sooryavanshi can replicate the same fearless intensity on the biggest stage. Another standout performance could further elevate his status as IPL 2026’s most electric young talent.
Keep checking for IPL updates, live scores, and the latest IPL news, along with the race for the Orange Cap and Purple Cap.
