Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (ICC Photo) NEW DELHI: Strike rate 331.58. Seven fours. Five sixes. That’s not just a stat line – it’s a statement. And the whole thing had the unmistakable stamp of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The young Indian star once again lived up to his reputation of being able to dismantle bowlers from the very first ball as he played a breathtaking 19-ball 63 for DY Patil Blue against Indian Navy in the ongoing DY Patil T20 Cup. With IPL 2026 just over a month away, the timing of this attack could not have been more ominous.
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Chasing 220, Vaibhav wasted no time in settling down. The first four deliveries he faced went for sixteen runs. He was already on 43 at the end of just 12 balls – the bowlers were scrambling, the fielders scattered and the tempo of the game firmly carried away.His half-century arrived in the fifth over – a six followed by a four – in just 14 deliveries. He added another huge maximum before returning for 63 off 19 balls to hit a staggering 331.58.For those who have followed his rise, this comes as no surprise.Vaibhav first rocked the IPL in 2025 when he blasted a 35-ball hundred against Gujarat Titans, becoming the youngest centurion in the league’s history and the fastest Indian to hit a century in the tournament. This shift heralded the arrival of a new aggressor – fearless, unapologetic and relentlessly attacking.His dominance continued on the under-19 circuit. In 25 youth ODIs, he amassed 1,412 runs at an average of 56.48 and a remarkable strike rate of 165.72. Four centuries and seven fifties followed, including a stunning 175 off just 80 balls in the U-19 World Cup final – an innings that sealed India’s triumph.Even off the field, Vaibhav did things differently. He hit the headlines for skipping his X-class board exams to prioritize cricket – a decision that now seems to be vindicated by the numbers.In 18 T20s so far, he has amassed 701 runs at a strike rate of 204.37, crossing 150 in 12 innings – a testament to his consistency in high-tempo cricket.In the DY Patil T20 Cup, he simply carried this momentum forward.As Kuwar Pathak’s 87 and Nitin Tanwar’s unbeaten 57 powered Indian Navy to 220, attention inevitably shifted back to Vaibhav. Yash Dhull (12 off 8), Sarfaraz Khan (27 off 19), Shashank Singh (20 off 12), Anand Bais (35* off 24) and Arjun Tendulkar (55* off 29) all chipped in – but it was Vaibhav’s lightning that set the tone.And if it is meant to be a warm-up before IPL 2026, bowlers across franchises would be watching closely.See also: IND vs ZIM Live Score
