Dealing in fours and sixes: Sooryavanshi topples Andre Russell for another IPL feat
Mullanpur, May 17
Rajasthan Royals' 15-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continues leaving behind a trail of records, surpassing West Indies legend Andre Russell for most runs scored in an Indian Premier League season.
During the eliminator clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Sooryavanshi smacked a sensational 97 in 29 balls, with five fours and 12 sixes at a strike rate of over 334.
In this season, Sooryavanshi has smashed 680 runs in 15 innings at an average of 45.33 and a strike rate of 242.85, including a century and four fifties, with a best score of 103. He has smashed 55 fours and 65 sixes in 280 balls faced. His balls per boundary shot ratio is 2.3, and balls per six ratio is 4.3.
This season, Sooryavanshi has scored 88.9 per cent of his runs through fours and sixes, as compared to Russell's 85.5 per cent of 510 runs through boundaries, as per CricViz.
Sooryavanshi has also levelled with Gayle for most instances of hitting 10-plus sixes in an IPL innings, a total of four times. Three of these occasions have come this season, making him the first batter to hit 10-plus sixes in three IPL innings in a season.
The 15-year-old's take down of cricket legends one by one continues as he also surpassed Sri Lankan legend Sanath Jayasuriya's tally of seven powerplay sixes during the IPL 2008 clash between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), with eight sixes in the powerplay at Mullanpur.
Sooryavanshi is the batter with the most runs coming in the powerplay during an IPL season, with 490 runs, overtaking Australian legend David Warner, who scored 467 runs for SRH in the 2016 edition.
This is also his fifth fifty-plus score in the power play in IPL, with only Warner (six such scores) ahead of him.
He has also joined Suresh Raina (87 against Punjab Kings in 2014) and Adam Gilchrist (74 against Delhi Daredevils in 2009) for fifty-plus scores made during powerplay in an IPL knockout/playoff match.
This is Sooryavanshi's fifth fifty in less than 20 balls, with only Abhishek Sharma (six) above him.
The 15-year-old's 16-ball half-century tied with Raina's 16-ball fifty (against PBKS in 2014) for the joint-fastest fifty in an IPL knockout/playoff match.
Twelve sixes smashed by him are also the most in an innings by a batter in IPL knockouts/playoffs, outdoing Shubman Gill's 10 sixes against the Mumbai Indians (MI) in 2023. Sooryavanshi has the most sixes in an IPL inning by an Indian as well.
Ninety-seven runs by Sooryavanshi is the second-highest individual score for RR in an IPL knockouts/Playoffs game, behind 106* runs by Jos Buttler against RCB in the qualifier 2 of IPL 2022.
This is the most runs an uncapped batter has scored in an IPL season, overtaking his opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal's tally of 625 runs in the 2023 season. Also, he is the youngest to complete 600 runs in an IPL season.
Before the left-handed sensation arrived on the scene, no other batter in T20 history had smashed 600+ runs in a T20 tournament while also striking at 200-plus.
Put to bat first, RR scored 242/8 in 20 overs, with Sooryavanshi (97 in 29 balls, with five fours and 12 sixes) and Dhruv Jurel (50 in 21 balls, with five fours and three sixes) playing crucial knocks. Praful Hinge (3/54) was the pick of the bowlers for SRH.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Absolutely phenomenal innings! But let's not get too carried away by IPL stats alone. The real test will be international cricket where bowlers like Cummins, Bumrah, and Starc will challenge him. Still, great to see young Indian talent dominating. Just hope he doesn't get burned out by all the hype. 🤞
As a cricket fan from overseas, I'm blown away by this kid's talent! He's hitting sixes like they're nothing. The fact that 88.9% of his runs come from boundaries shows the kind of fearless cricket he plays. Reminds me of a young Viv Richards in T20 format. Incredible stuff!
Eighth six in the powerplay is mad! Beating Jayasuriya's record from 2008 feels like poetry. But honestly, I'm a bit concerned about his longevity. At 15, his body is still developing. Hope RR's management doesn't overbowl him in nets or overplay him. We lost many talents to injury. Just saying. 🤔
Wow, he's even overtaken Yashasvi Jaiswal's record! That's serious because Jaiswal is now an international star. And that 16-ball fifty in a playoff match is the stuff of legends. Sooryavanshi is only 15. By the time he's 25, he could be rewriting every T20 record book. Just brilliant! 🔥
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.