Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is on a dream run in IPL 2026. The opening batter for Rajasthan Royals continues to hog headlines for all the right reasons, and breaks records like cricket was a child’s play. The 15-year-old prodigy’s game plan for the ongoing season is simple: cause absolute destruction and disregard bowlers. Sooryavanshi, who likes to get going from ball 1, once again reminded us on Tuesday night why he’s a force to reckon with when he struck 43 against the Punjab Kings.
Those 43 runs came in just 16 deliveries, an innings that was laced with three fours and five maximums. He struck at 268.75, the highest in his team’s batting line-up on the night. More importantly, the opening foundation he laid with his opening partner, Yashasvi Jaiswal,
helped Rajasthan Royals hand Punjab Kings their first defeat of IPL 2026.
At the end of the eventful night in Mullanpur, Sooryavanshi donned the Orange Cap. The online discourse wasn’t about how a young cricketer had surpassed KL Rahul or Virat Kohli and reached the 400-run mark, but about how he got there.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Becomes First Batter To…
Tuesday’s outing put Sooryavanshi at the top run scorers of IPL 2026. He now has 400 runs to his name. While that is an impressive feat in itself, given there’s more than a month’s IPL action still left, the batter donning the Rajasthan jersey has entered the IPL history books for a unique reason.
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He has now become the fastest batter to achieve 400 runs in the fewest balls since the inception of the league. It only took him 167 deliveries.
Sooryavanshi – In A League Of His Own
The flamboyant top-order batter beat Andre Russell’s record of 400 in 188 deliveries in IPL 2019. As for Abhishek Sharma, who finds himself in the third spot of the special list, the Sunrisers Hyderabad touched 400 runs in 195 deliveries in IPL 2024.
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The Ultimate Run Machine
Barring the duck he registered against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Sooryavanshi has 30+ scores in seven out of nine innings, including a blazing century he clocked in just 36 deliveries against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Jaipur. This knock included 12 sixes and 5 boundaries which powered him to the quickest 1000 runs in T20 history. He achieved the four-digit mark in merely 473 deliveries. He went past Mitchell Owen and Andrew Symonds, who required 533 and 558 deliveries respectively to achieve the T20 milestone.
52, 31, 39, 78, 0, 46, 8, 103, 43 – Sooryavanshi’s scores in IPL 2026 (so far).
How He Got There?
Sooryavanshi has been striking at a staggering strike rate of 238.09 in IPL 2026. 358 runs of his 400 runs have come in boundaries: 34 fours & 37 maximums.
(Source: IPL)
The teen’s ferocious intent and clean hitting have earned him endless praise from viewers be it cricket experts or passionate fans. In a season that continues to witness 200+ run games regularly, something that has caused fatigue among some viewers, there’s no denying the fact that whenever the 15-year-old Rajasthan batter walks out to the crease, all eyes are fixed on him, wanting him to go berserk. Wanting him to succeed.
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| Player | Balls | Match | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Gayle | 30 | Royal Challengers Bangalore v Pune Warriors | Bangalore | 23-Apr-13 |
| Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | 35 | Rajasthan Royals v Gujarat Titans | Jaipur | 28-Apr-25 |
| Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | 36 | Rajasthan Royals v Sunrisers Hyderabad | Jaipur | 25-Apr-26 |
Sooryavanshi’s penchant for dismantling bowling attacks with his raw power and clean bat swings helped him record the second and the third-fastest centuries in IPL history. Chris Gayle stays on top with 30 deliveries taken to slam the ton against Pune Warriors India in IPL 2013. Sooryavanshi slammed a 35-ball 100 against the Gujarat Titans in IPL 2025, securing the second spot. This season, the 36-ball 100 against Sunrisers Hyderabad helped him block the third spot as well.
