‘If I Walked Towards…’: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Reveals How He Passed IPL’s Fastest Century

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi of Rajasthan Royals (ANI Photo) Fifteen-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi once again stunned the cricketing world with a breathtaking innings in the IPL 2026 Eliminator and remarkably, even during the innings itself, the teenage sensation looked completely calm despite the enormity of the occasion. Speaking to broadcasters during the mid-innings break after smashing 97 off just 29 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad, the Rajasthan Royals opener revealed that he never let the pressure of a knockout game affect his approach. Facing a bowling attack led by Pat Cummins, Sooryavanshi unleashed a brutal onslaught that included 12 towering sixes and almost saw him surpass Chris Gayle’s iconic record of the fastest IPL century. Despite the massive phase and the chaos he created in the crease, Sooryavanshi said his coaches had only one message for him ahead of the match. “(Did you ever think it was an elimination game, a big game?) No, I had it in my head somewhere, but all the coaches told me to do exactly what I did in practice, enjoy the game and not push in this game.” The teenager looked unstoppable throughout his stay at the crease and dismantled almost every SRH player on the batting surface. Cummins and the SRH leadership group were repeatedly forced into discussions after almost every boundary, but Sooryavanshi continued to attack fearlessly. When the broadcaster asked him if the boundaries seemed too small during his incredible six-time spree, the youngster gave a simple answer. “(Were the boundaries too small for you?) No, sir.” Sooryavanshi also admitted during the mid-innings interview that he believed Rajasthan Royals were still trailing despite posting a massive 243 for 8. “(In your view, is 243 a bit below par or pretty decent?) No, even when I got out, I still felt it was possible to score 260+. But now, whatever score we have, we will try to defend it and execute whatever plans we have.” The RR opener narrowly missed a century after being caught at third man off Praful Hinge in the eighth over, just three runs short of what could have been one of the greatest IPL innings ever played. Explaining the dismissal, Sooryavanshi admitted that he tried to convert his shot after spotting the fielder. “(Did you mean century?) I didn’t really think about it that way, but I played that shot after I looked at the fielder and that’s why I mistimed it. If I’d gone towards third man, it would have been easy. But I was trying to hit it straight and that’s why I missed the shot.” Even without a century, the innings rewrote several IPL records. Sooryavanshi broke Gayle’s 14-year-old record of sixes in one IPL season and now has 65 sixes in IPL 2026.