- By Namrata Vijay
- Thu, 28 May 2026 12:34 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
RR vs SRH IPL 2026 Eliminator: Legendary West Indies cricketer Chris Gayle hailed Rajasthan Royals star opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for unleashing a brilliant, match-winning knock of 97 runs off 29 balls during the IPL 2026 Eliminator match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, where the youngster shattered Gayle's tally for the most sixes in a single season. Sooryavanshi produced one of the standout innings, demolishing an in-form SRH bowling attack by hammering 97 runs off 29 balls, smashing five fours and 12 sixes at a staggering strike rate of over 334. He eclipsed Gayle's tally of 59 sixes in IPL 2012 by clubbing 65 sixes this year, the most in a T20 tournament. Gayle took to his official Instagram account and declared, "Outstanding @Vaibhav_Sooryavanshi09, a new six machine @iplt20."
He was also seen urging Sooryavanshi not to fall short of a well-deserved fastest IPL century off just 29 balls, and he set another record. He emphasized that the youngster was 'unlucky,' but asserted he would capture that feat soon.
During IPL 202
6, Sooryavanshi blasted 680 runs across 15 matches at a brilliant average of 45.33 and a staggering strike rate of 242.85, including 104 half-centuries. His highest individual score soared to 103. He hammered 55 fours and 65 sixes off the 280 balls he faced. His balls per boundary shot ratio stands at 2.3, and his balls per six at 4.3. In the ongoing season, he has compiled 88.9 percent of his runs through fours and sixes, while Andre Russell has compiled 85.5 percent of his 510 runs via fours during IPL 2019, representing the Kolkata Knight Riders.
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The youngster also shattered Gayle's record of smashing more than 10 sixes during an innings, not just once, but four separate times. Three of these extraordinary feats erupted this year, as he became the first batter to bludgeon more than 10 sixes in three IPL matches during a season.
He also continued to torment all the legendary bowlers as he eclipsed Sanath Jayasuriya's record for smashing seven sixes during the powerplay in the IPL 2008 match against Chennai Super Kings, while Sooryavanshi blasted eight sixes during the powerplay in Mullanpur.
The youngster also stormed into the record books as the batter to score the most runs in the powerplay, surpassing David Warner's 467 runs for the Hyderabad-based franchise in IPL 2016.
ALSO READ: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's Bold Statement After Match-Winning 97 vs SRH In Eliminator: 'Centuries Will Keep Coming'
It marked his fifth fifty-plus score during the power play, with Warner still leading ahead of him.
He has also joined the elite list alongside Suresh Raina (87 against Punjab Kings in 2014) and Adam Gilchrist (74 against Delhi Daredevils in 2009) for slamming more than 50 runs in the powerplay during a playoff match.
It was his fifth half-century in under 20 balls, with Abhishek Sharma (six) as the only batter edging him out.
His 16-ball fifty is tied with Raina's 16-ball fifty (against PBKS during IPL 2014), standing as the joint-fastest fifty in a playoff match.
Sooryavanshi's 12 sixes also mark the highest by a batter during a playoff match and eclipse Shubman Gill's tally of 10 sixes against the Mumbai-based franchise during IPL 2023. The youngster also hammered the most sixes during an IPL match by an Indian batter.
Sooryavanshi's match-winning knock of 97 runs stands as the second-highest individual score for the Rajasthan-based franchise during a playoff match, just trailing Jos Buttler's 106 against RCB during IPL 2022.
It is the most runs scored by an uncapped batter and surges past his teammate Yashasvi Jaiswal's record of 625 runs during IPL 2023. Sooryavanshi became the youngest batter to rocket past 600 runs at a strike rate exceeding 200.
Before him, no other batter in the history of this format had unleashed 600 runs.
After losing this match, the Pat Cummins-led side has been knocked out. In contrast, the Rajasthan-based franchise will face the Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2 to qualify for the summit clash, where they will play against the reigning champions, the Bengaluru-based franchise. The Rajasthan-based franchise batted first, where Sooryavanshi (97 in 29 balls, with five fours and 12 sixes) and Dhruv Jurel (50 in 21 balls, with five fours and three sixes) had smashed brilliant knocks and helped the team post a mammoth target of 243 runs. While chasing, SRH were reeling at 57/4 during the powerplay, and even though Ishan Kishan helped the team bounce back for a while (33 in 11 balls, with three fours and three sixes). Archer (3/58) and Burger (2/26) played a huge role in skittling the Hyderabad-based franchise for 196 runs.