Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored 776 runs at a strike rate of 237.30 in IPL 2026, and he is 15 years old. The Rajasthan Royals opener won the 2026 Orange Cap and the season's Most Valuable Player award, smashing a record 72 sixes along the way. No teenager has come close to a season like it, and it has already reframed what is possible in the format.
Quick Answer - Vaibhav Sooryavanshi IPL Career
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (born 27 March 2011) is a left-handed opener for Rajasthan Royals. In IPL 2026 he made 776 runs in 16 innings at a strike rate of 237.30, with a century, five fifties and a record 72 sixes, winning the Orange Cap and MVP at 15. His career IPL total stands at 1,028 runs in 23 innings.
हिन्दी: वैभव सूर्यवंशी ने आईपीएल 2026 में 16 पारियों में 776 रन (स्ट्राइक रेट 237.30) और रिकॉर्ड 72 छक्के लगाए, और 15 साल की उम्र में ऑरेंज कैप और एमवीपी जीता।
Career figures sourced from ESPNcricinfo and the official IPL site.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's IPL Career Journey
Vaibhav was born on 27 March 2011 in Tajpur, in Bihar's Samastipur district. His father introduced him to the bat at age four, and by his early teens he was travelling to Patna to train. He made his Bihar Ranji Trophy debut at 12, then earned a Rajasthan Royals contract at the 2025 mega auction for ₹1.1 crore, the youngest player ever signed by an IPL franchise.
He repaid them instantly. On debut in April 2025, aged 14 years 23 days, he became the youngest player in IPL history, and days later hit a 35-ball century against Gujarat Titans, the fastest by an Indian. He closed 2025 with 252 runs at a strike rate of 206.56. In 2026 he went to another level, reaching 1,000 career IPL runs in just 440 balls, the fastest ever, breaking a mark held by Andre Russell.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Season-by-Season IPL Stats
Two seasons, two leaps. The jump from a stunning debut to a record-breaking second year is laid out below.
| Season | M | Runs | HS | SR | 100s | 50s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPL 2025 | 7 | 252 | 101 | 206.56 | 1 | 0 | 24 |
| IPL 2026 | 16 | 776 | 103 | 237.30 | 1 | 5 | 72 |
| Career | 23 | 1,028 | 103 | 228.95 | 2 | 5 | 96 |
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's Best IPL Season - 2026
His 2026 campaign is one of the great individual seasons in IPL history. The high point with the bat was 103 off 37 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, a 36-ball hundred that ranks among the fastest the league has seen. But it was the playoffs where he turned a brilliant season into a legendary one.
In the Eliminator against SRH he made 97 off just 29 balls, hitting 12 sixes, the most in any IPL knockout innings, to set up a 47-run win. Three days later in Qualifier 2 against Gujarat Titans, he made 96 off 47. Rajasthan fell four runs short of a third century and, more painfully, lost the match, ending their season one win from the final. Gujarat went through and lost the final to Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
IPL Records and Milestones Held by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
- IPL 2026 Orange Cap winner and Most Valuable Player, at 15 the youngest ever to win either.
- Most sixes in a single IPL season, and any T20 tournament, with 72, breaking Chris Gayle's 59 from 2012, a top mark on the all-time six-hitting list.
- Most runs by an uncapped player in an IPL season, 776, breaking Yashasvi Jaiswal's 625 from 2023, and high on the all-time run charts for his age.
- Youngest IPL debutant (14 years 23 days) and youngest centurion (14 years 32 days), both set in 2025.
- Fastest Indian to an IPL century (35 balls) and fastest of anyone to 1,000 IPL runs (440 balls).
- Most boundaries in a single IPL edition, 135, from 72 sixes and 63 fours.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi - Strengths and the Open Questions
His season earned praise from the biggest names in the game. Coach Kumar Sangakkara said he is ready for India, Shubman Gill called him the best batter in the world right now after the Qualifier 2 knock, and he has since been named in an India A squad. The strengths are obvious; the question marks are what the next season will test.
What He Destroys
- Good-length pace, which he hits straight back or over the leg side
- Short balls outside off, pulled or upper-cut for six
- Spin on length, especially on smaller square boundaries
- Death-overs plans, with several attacks neutralised from the first ball
The Open Questions
- Yorker-length deliveries, a recurring dot-ball threat
- Low full tosses sliding away outside off
- Sharp short balls aimed into the body from express pace
- Whether bowlers adapt faster than he does in 2027
The "youngest ever" framing now feels almost beside the point. A 15-year-old won the Orange Cap and MVP, broke a six-hitting record that stood for 14 years, and produced 97 off 29 and 96 off 47 in back-to-back playoff games. That is not promise any more, that is production, at the highest pressure the league offers. My honest read is that the yorker vulnerability is real and 2027 will be harder, because bowlers now have a full season of footage. But a teenager who can be game-planned and still strike at 237 across a whole campaign is not a problem to solve, he is a problem to survive. For the full picture of how his season fit into the title race, see our IPL 2026 season review. The bowlers are the ones who should worry.
Frequently Asked Questions - Vaibhav Sooryavanshi IPL Stats
How many runs did Vaibhav Sooryavanshi score in IPL 2026?
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored 776 runs in 16 innings in IPL 2026 at a strike rate of 237.30, with one century, five fifties and 72 sixes. It won him the Orange Cap and MVP at the age of 15.
How old is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi?
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was born on 27 March 2011, making him 15 years old. He is the youngest player to debut in the IPL, at 14 years 23 days in 2025, and the youngest centurion in men's T20 cricket.
What is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's highest IPL score?
His highest IPL score is 103 off 37 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2026, a 36-ball century. He also made 101 off 38 against Gujarat Titans in 2025, and 97 off 29 in the 2026 Eliminator.
Which team does Vaibhav Sooryavanshi play for in IPL?
Sooryavanshi plays for Rajasthan Royals, who signed him at the 2025 mega auction and retained him for 2026. He opens alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal. RR reached Qualifier 2 in 2026 before losing to Gujarat Titans.
What records does Vaibhav Sooryavanshi hold in IPL?
He holds the records for most sixes in a single IPL season (72), most runs by an uncapped player in a season (776), youngest IPL debutant and centurion, fastest Indian to a century, and youngest Orange Cap winner.
How many sixes did Vaibhav Sooryavanshi hit in IPL 2026?
He hit 72 sixes in IPL 2026, an all-time record for a single IPL season and any T20 tournament, breaking Chris Gayle's 59 from 2012. He finished 29 sixes clear of the next batter.
The Bottom Line
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's 2026 season is the new benchmark for what a young batter can do in the IPL: 776 runs, a record 72 sixes, the Orange Cap and the MVP award, all at 15. Rajasthan fell one win short of the final, but the bigger story is a generational talent who is only getting started. With an India call-up already secured, the next chapter starts now.
