The young sensation from the Rajasthan Royals has rewritten IPL history. In a jaw-dropping display during the high-stakes playoffs, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi broke Chris Gayle’s long-standing record for the most sixes in a single IPL season, reaching a staggering 60 maximums. He did it in style against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator clash, leaving the opposition clueless and the crowd on its feet.
Record-breaking six
The magic unfolded in the fourth over of the innings. Facing Sakib Hussain at the 3.5 mark, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi received a slower, fuller delivery. He read it early, got under the ball perfectly, and launched it high and handsome straight into the stands over deep extra cover. That clean strike was no ordinary six. It was his 60th of the season, officially breaking Chris Gayle’s previous record. The young prodigy made it look effortless, picking the length and depositing the ball deep into the crowd. For a teenager already turning heads with his fearless batting, this milestone felt like destiny.
Most sixes in an IPL season
61* - Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (2026)
52 - Andre Russell (2019)
Fastest fifty in IPL playoffs history follows on the next ball
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi wasn’t done yet. On the very next delivery in the 3.6th over, he produced another monster shot. Hussain tried the slower ball again, but Sooryavanshi heaved it across the line with raw power, clearing deep square leg comfortably. The ball sailed almost into the third tier, easily the biggest six of the night. That massive hit not only took his season tally to 61 sixes but also brought up his half-century in just 16 balls, the fastest fifty ever recorded in the history of IPL playoffs.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's performance in SRH vs GT match
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi earned the Player of the Match award for his brilliant innings of 97 runs off 29 deliveries, including five fours and 12 sixes. He played at a strike-rate of 334.48 in the game, before getting dismissed by Praful Hinge in the eighth over.
"I do think a little bit, but not too much. I just try to play the game I’m in and not overthink. But if I feel there’s something I need to work on, then I look at that," Vaibhav said after winning the POTM award.
"I just think about who the bowlers are in the opposition team, how I can face them on this wicket, how big the boundaries are, just these kinds of things. I just try to stay positive with my intent. When I do that, the bowlers stay under pressure. So I try to continue that and dominate the game," he added.
