Rajasthan Royals opening batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi plundered runs for fun in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match against the Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Saturday. The 15-year-old smashed 103 runs off 37 balls, including five boundaries and 12 sixes, to help the Royals post 228/6 in 20 overs. It was a shame that this total didn’t prove enough as Sunrisers chased down the total with nine balls and five wickets in hand. Abhishek Sharma (57) and Ishan Kishan (74) stepped up with the bat to give Hyderabad their fourth win on the trot.
After the game concluded, Kishan and Sooryavanshi were seen chatting, and it is now that the details of their conversation have come to light. Kishan said that he’s aware of Sooryavanshi’s talent, and his wicket turned out to be the game-changing moment, as had he stayed till the end, the Royals would have gone past the 250-run mark.
The left-handed batter also added that he had issued a warning to Sooryavanshi, asking him to go easy against his team, as he knows all his secrets and inside stories.
“I was just telling him about the madness with which he is batting and how he is hitting. Sometimes, you are even scared thinking about what the scorecard could have looked like if he had stayed for a few more overs. So, it was important for us to get his wicket. It was 228; it could have easily been 258,” said Kishan while speaking on JioHotstar’s ‘Google Search AI Mode Match Centre Live’.
“Cricket is all about comebacks. We got him out and made a little comeback there. That’s what I told him, ‘When I am playing against you, please go a little easy on my team. I know all your secrets and inside stories’,” he added.
What a talent
Former India batter Mohammad Kaif was also full of praise for Sooryavanshi, who is currently at the second spot on the Orange Cap leaderboard. Kaif called the 15-year-old a “once-in-a-generation talent” who is making the best bowlers of the tournament look ordinary.
“Vaibhav Suryavanshi is a once-in-a-generation talent. At just 15, he is making the best bowlers in the IPL look ordinary. He smashed four sixes in a row off Praful Hinge. Hinge had dismissed him last time in Hyderabad, but here in Jaipur, Suryavanshi was on a mission to settle the score, and he did so in dominating fashion. He even hit the first ball he faced from Pat Cummins for a massive six. He is a fearless prodigy who’s dominating the IPL like he is playing gully cricket,” said Kaif.
“Two hundreds in two seasons, both at a strike-rate above 250. That tells you everything about his mindset. He doesn’t care about the name of the bowler or the match situation. He just keeps attacking. He bats like a veteran who has played international cricket for ten years. His ability to pick the length early, his balance at the crease, and his raw power are all world-class. He also has a calm head on his young shoulders. That is a rare combination. If he stays fit, stays hungry, and keeps his focus, Indian cricket has found its next superstar for the next 20 to 25 years,” he added.
In the match against SRH, Sooryavanshi smashed the second-fastest century by an Indian, surpassing the three-figure mark off just 36 balls. The record belongs to the youngster as he notched up a ton off just 35 balls last year.