14-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will play for Rajasthan Royals in the 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The left-handed batter from Samastipur in Bihar made his IPL debut in 2025 and amassed
a total of 252 runs in seven matches for the Jaipur-based franchise with a strike rate of 200+. After impressive batting performances in his maiden IPL season, Vaibhav, who played a knock of 175 runs for India in the U19 World Cup final against England last month, wants to do well in IPL 2026, and during the BCCI’s award show in Delhi on Sunday (March 15), he expressed his desire to break Chris Gayle’s record of highest individual score in the upcoming season.
Gayle played an unbeaten knock of 175 runs from just 66 balls for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2013 match against Pune Warriors India at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on April 23, and Vaibhav wants to go past that tally.
“Sir wahi 175 ka record todne ka (Sir, wants to break the 175-run record),” Vaibhav said when Harsha Bhogle asked him which IPL record he wants to break in the 2026 season.
Boss Baby has his eyes set for this one! 👀
Will Vaibhav Sooryavanshi achieve this feat in the #TATAIPL 2026 ✍️👇
Watch BCCI Naman awards 👉https://t.co/8W5zMWhfvk pic.twitter.com/CZ3xnzqifF
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) March 15, 2026
As of now, only two batters – Gayle and Brendon McCullum – have managed to score more than 150 runs in an IPL match. The record of the highest individual score by an Indian batter in IPL history is in the name of Abhishek Sharma.
The left-handed batter from Amritsar scored 141 runs from just 55 balls for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2025 match against Punjab Kings at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on April 12 in the 246-run chase.
During the show, Vaibhav was also asked about his personal goals for the 2026 IPL season, and he replied by saying that he wants to win the title for the Rajasthan Royals.
“Iss season yahi goal hai ki team ke liye trophy jeete, kyuki vo bahut zyada important cheej hai. Agar team ke liye trophy jeetenge hum, toh uspe mera bhi performance niklega aur team ka bhi, jisse sabko fayda hoga – puri franchise ko, puri team ko – toh yahi mera goal hai iss baar ki mai jitna contribute kar saku team ke win mein aur trophy jeet saku team ke liye (The goal this IPL season is to win the trophy for the team, as it is a very important thing. I want to do well, and my performance will help the whole team. This is my goal – to contribute to RR’s wins and win the trophy for the franchise),” Vaibhav said.
The journey continues for Team India’s rising star. ⭐
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has his focus set on the next trophy.#NamanAwards, LIVE NOW 👉 https://t.co/XGKhP1qQbW pic.twitter.com/qmLoM7LVRH
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) March 15, 2026
In IPL 2026, Vaibhav will play for RR under the leadership of Riyan Parag. The right-handed middle-order batter from Assam was appointed as the full-time captain of Royals after Sanju Samson joined Chennai Super Kings in a trade deal ahead of the IPL 2026 auction last year.
