IPL 2026: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi sets unexpected ‘slowest’ record during his 96-run knock vs GT

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (ANI Photo) Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continued his dream IPL 2026 season with another explosive innings for Rajasthan Royals, but his latest knock against Gujarat Titans surprisingly brought an unusual milestone in his short T20 career.The teenage sensation smashed a breathtaking 96 off 47 balls at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur on Friday. His innings, packed with eight fours and seven sixes, powered Rajasthan Royals to an impressive 214/6 in a high-pressure playoff encounter.However, despite aggressive knocking, Sooryavanshi ended up scoring the slowest half-century of his IPL career.The Rajasthan opener reached his fifty off 28 deliveries, the slowest fifty he has scored so far in the tournament. His previous slowest IPL fifty came off 27 balls last year in Delhi against Chennai Super Kings.The stats only underline how destructive Sooryavanshi has been during IPL 2026. Before Friday’s innings, five of his previous seven fifty-plus scores had come from 17 balls or less, highlighting the fearless attacking style that has made him one of the breakout stars of the season.Even on a relatively ‘slower’ night by his own standards, the youngster dominated Gujarat’s bowling attack and once again gave Rajasthan Royals a flying start in the knockout game.Sooryavanshi looked set for a memorable century after tearing through both pace and spin during the middle overs but ultimately fell short of the three-figure mark. Still, his innings ensured Rajasthan were in complete control for most of the innings.Royals also received vital contributions from Ravindra Jadeja, who remained unbeaten on 45, and Donovan Ferreira, whose explosive 38 not out came off just 11 balls with four sixes.For Gujarat Titans, Jason Holder proved to be the most economical bowler as he finished with figures of 2/27 in his four overs.Despite missing out on a century yet again, Sooryavanshi’s innings further cemented his growing reputation as one of the most dangerous young batsmen in franchise cricket.