Our Bureau
Jaipur
In a historic IPL 2026 moment, 15-year-old Rajasthan Royals opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi became the fastest player ever to reach 400 runs in a single IPL season, achieving the milestone in just 167 balls. He surpassed Andre Russell’s 2019 record of 188 balls and also beat Abhishek Sharma’s 2024 mark of 195 balls.
Sooryavanshi reached the landmark during Rajasthan Royals’ thrilling six-wicket victory over Punjab Kings, where he smashed 43 runs off 16 balls. He now leads IPL 2026’s run-scoring charts with 400 runs in nine innings at an average of 44.44. His consistency has been remarkable – his scores this season: 52, 31, 39, 78, 0, 46, 8, 103, and 43.
The young star’s explosive form hasn’t gone unnoticed. Former India pacer Mohit Sharma, who played with MS Dhoni for India and Chennai Super Kings, compared Sooryavanshi’s aura to the legendary wicketkeeper-batter. “Sooryavanshi has the same aura, the same love for him everywhere like MS Dhoni,” Sharma said on Cricbuzz. He noted that before Sooryavanshi, only Dhoni had such universal adoration across all ten IPL franchises and grounds.
Sooryavanshi also holds the Orange Cap with 37 sixes this season. Earlier this month, he scored a blistering 36-ball century against Sunrisers Hyderabad, his second IPL hundred and the third-fastest in league history, featuring 5 fours and 12 sixes.
After winning the U19 World Cup with India earlier this year, Sooryavanshi’s primary goal remains winning the IPL 2026 title with Rajasthan Royals while targeting Chris Gayle’s record of 175 – the highest individual score in IPL history. At just 15, he is already redefining T20 batting and scripting IPL history.
