Rajasthan Royals teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has rewritten the record books again, eclipsing West Indies great Chris Gayle for the most six-hitting output in a single IPL campaign and in a T20 season. The latest benchmark came in the eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad, where he struck a violent 97 off 29 balls—powered by five fours and 12 sixes—at an eye-catching strike rate of 334.48. His hitting firepower proved decisive as RR went on to win by 47 runs and booked their spot in Qualifier 2.
Sooryavanshi’s record run: what he achieved
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi surpassed Chris Gayle’s benchmark for the most sixes in an IPL edition and in a T20 competition, reaching the top with his current season tally.
- He has already smashed 65 sixes in the ongoing IPL season, bettering Gayle’s total of 59 sixes from the 2012 IPL campaign.
- In the eliminator versus Sunrisers Hyderabad, his 12 sixes in the innings became the highest number of sixes struck by any batter in an IPL playoff/knockout match. He moved ahead of Shubman Gill, who had previously struck 10 sixes against Mumbai Indians in IPL 2023.
- Sooryavanshi’s 97 came with a strike rate of 334.48, and his 12 maximums included a major surge during the Powerplay—eight of those sixes were struck in the first six overs, the most ever by a batter in that phase of an IPL match.
- He has scored 490 runs out of his 680 total this season during Powerplay overs, which is also an IPL record.
- He became the first teenager to reach a total of 600 runs or more in a single IPL edition.
- Sooryavanshi set a new mark for the most runs by an uncapped batter in one IPL season, taking the record from his Rajasthan Royals teammate Yashasvi Jaiswal, who had made 626 runs for RR in IPL 2023.
- He also matched Suresh Raina’s record for the quickest half-century in an IPL playoff/knockout game, reaching the fifty in just 16 balls.
- He became the first player to register 10 or more sixes in an IPL innings on three separate occasions, edging past Finn Allen.
- Across his T20 performances, he has hit 10 or more sixes in an innings four times, tying the all-time standard held by Chris Gayle.
Eliminator impact: RR advance in the playoffs
- In the IPL eliminator, Sooryavanshi’s 97 off 29 balls—featuring five fours and 12 sixes—anchored Rajasthan Royals’ demolition of Sunrisers Hyderabad.
- His barrage helped RR post enough to defend the total, turning the game into a statement win.
- Rajasthan Royals ultimately defeated SRH by 47 runs, which confirmed their progression to Qualifier 2.
- Qualifier 2 will see RR take on Gujarat Titans.
