The teen sensation, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, was at it again, but this time in the all-important Indian Premier League Eliminator, as he took on the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) bowling and clobbered a 16-ball half-century at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh on Wednesday, May 27.
Generally known for putting his first ball of the match out of the park, Sooryavanshi showed much restraint in the knockout game and waited for his third ball of the match to hit his first six.
However, once he deposited his first six in the stand, he started on his merry ways and reached his fifty in just 16 balls. With this 16-ball half-century, the 15-year-old Bihari boy equaled the record of Suresh Raina of the joint-fastest half-century in the knockouts.
Even after adding his name in the record books, Sooryavanshi's hunger for runs didn't satiate as he then went on to blaze 97 runs off just 29 balls before getting out in a heartbreaking style at the deep third man boundary.
Sooryananshi was just one shot shy of breaking Chris Gayle's 30-ball ton record, but it wasn't meant to be for the T20 prodigy.
Sooryavanshi Surpasses Gayle's Most Sixes Record
While Sooryavanshi was unable to break Chris Gayle's century record, he shattered did manage to surpass the Caribbean legend's record of most sixes in an IPL season. While Gayle smashed 59 sixes back in 2012, Sooryavanshi bettered it by smacking 62 sixes in the ongoing season.
65 - Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (2026)
59 - Chris Gayle (2012)
52 - Andre Russell (2019)
51 - Chris Gayle (2013)
45 - Jos Buttler (2022)
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has now also becomes the leading run-scorer in this year's IPL season. The southpaw batter has 680 runs in 15 innings at an average of 45.33 and an astonishing strike rate of 242.85.
