'His name's probably Sooryavanshi': Jos Buttler backs Indian teenager to break all-time T20 runs record
England batter Jos Buttler has surpassed West Indian Kieron Pollard to become the highest run-getter in T20 cricket. The Manchester Super Giants batter did so during a game of The Hundred against Welsh Fire.
Senior England batter Jos Buttler believes that Indian teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi could break his record of scoring the most T20 runs. Buttler surpassed Kieron Pollard on Wednesday to become the highest run-scorer in T20s. He did so during Manchester Super Giants' match against Welsh Fire in The Hundred.
Buttler has now scored 14,833 runs from 522 T20 matches at a strike-rate of 147.24. This includes 27 fifties and nine centuries.
The West Indian duo of Pollard (14,803 runs) and Chris Gayle (14,562 runs) are in second and third place, respectively. "Yeah, it's really cool actually to think you've got the most T20 runs out of everyone," the 35-year-old told Sky Cricket.
"Someone will surpass it one day, and his name's probably Sooryavanshi. But no, it's a proud moment," he added.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's exploits
Sooryavanshi has been a revelation in the shortest format of cricket. He announced himself during IPL 2025 with Rajasthan Royals (RR), when he scored 252 runs from seven matches at a strike-rate of 206.55. The Bihar teenager then went on to win the Orange Cap in IPL 2026, amassing 776 runs from 16 matches at a strike-rate of 237.30.
The Under-19 World Cup winner recently made his senior India debut during the T20I series against England in July. He also played in the T20I series against Zimbabwe later in July and won the Player of the Series award after top-scoring with 151 runs from three innings.
Vaibhav has played 40 T20s so far and has aggregated 1,670 runs at a strike-rate of 216.32.
"Funny how quickly cricket can change. One day you're the dog, one day you're the lamp post. A few months ago, I was struggling for form. And then, in the last few weeks, especially, I probably feel like I'm batting as well as I ever have. It's been a lot of fun. You've only ever got two options. You either give up, or you've got the energy to keep going and try to rediscover your form. So those are all the things I've been focusing on. I've had the energy and determination to try and get back there, and that's what I've done," Buttler shared.
Talking about the match, Welsh Fire won the toss and opted to bat first. Knocks from Matthew Short (71) and captain Phil Salt (48) led Welsh Fire to 155/4 from 100 balls.
The Manchester Super Giants made light work of the chase, sealing the match with nine wickets and 31 deliveries to spare. Buttler, who walked out to bat at No 3, remained unbeaten on 51, whereas Tim Seifert was not out on 62.