Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was the standout of Rajasthan Royals' (RR) innings in the IPL 2026 Eliminator match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). This match will take place on May 27, 2026, at the Mullanpur Stadium in New Chandigarh.

Pat Cummins, SRH captain, won the toss and decided to bowl first. And Vaibhav Sooryavanshi seemed to be on a mission. He smashed fifty in just 16 balls and was looking set to break Chris Gayle’s record for fastest IPL ton (30) balls.

He was on 97 in 28 balls, when he went for a six, only to be caught at third man. His knock ended with 5 fours and 12 sixes, during which he broke Chris Gayle’s record for most sixes in a single IPL edition (59).

Sooryavanshi now has 65 sixes to his name in 15 games in IPL 2026, with 680 runs at a strike rate of 242. His knock, along with Dhruv Jurel (50) and Riyan Parag (26), helped RR to 243/8 in 20 overs.

Sooryavanshi returned slowly to the pavilion after being dismissed, and the entire Mullanpur stadium fell silent. Even his teammates were shocked by what had just transpired, and the left-hander had a forlorn expression.

The young player received the Orange Cap for most runs in IPL 2026 and lamented a mistake during a mid-innings interview, claiming that he would have reached a century if he had played a proper stroke.

“I wasn’t really thinking about it like that, but I played that shot after looking at the fielder, and that’s why I mistimed it. If I had gone towards the third man, it would have cleared easily. But I tried to hit it straight, and that’s why I missed the shot,” Sooryavanshi told the broadcaster at the mid-innings.

Sooryavanshi also disclosed that all of the RR coaches advised him to enjoy the moment and not put too much pressure on himself prior to the knockout match with the Sunrisers Hyderabad.

“All the coaches told me to do whatever I was doing in the practice sessions. They told me to enjoy and not take pressure,” Sooryavanshi said.

“Even after I got out, it seemed that we would get 270-280. But it is what it is. We will look to defend the score and execute our plans,” said the youngster.

Sooryavnshi also became the youngest batter in the history of the IPL tournament to score more than 600 runs in a single IPL season.