Rajasthan Royals prodigy Sooryavanshi 7 sixes away from surpassing Gayle's IPL record
Mullanpur, May 27
Rajasthan Royals' 15-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is just seven sixes away from outclassing West Indies legend Chris Gayle for most sixes in a single edition of the Indian Premier League.
The eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) could perhaps by Vaibhav's last chance in this edition to go past one of Gayle's many immortalised IPL records: outdoing his tally of 59 sixes in the 2012 edition.
This Bihar prodigy is having a generational season on all fronts. With 583 runs in 14 matches and innings at an average of 41.64 and a strike rate of 232.67, including a century and three fifties, Sooryavanshi has delivered consistency befitting veterans like Virat Kohli and KL Rahul and explosiveness that places him alongside Gayle.
Sooryavanshi has hit 53 sixes so far and has hit over 54 per cent of his runs through maximums. If the left-hander is on a song, seven sixes is not really a huge ask from the teenage batting sensation. This season, Sooryavanshi has hit a six every 4.7 balls.
Hitting those seven sixes will also mean that he will surpass Gayle for most sixes in a single T20 tournament.
Having expressed his wish to smash T20s first-ever double ton and go past Gayle on Kevin Pietersen's YouTube Channel, will Sooryavanshi take baby steps towards doing the same?
Squads:
Rajasthan Royals Squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel(w), Riyan Parag(c), Donovan Ferreira, Shubham Dubey, Dasun Shanaka, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Yash Raj Punja, Brijesh Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Sushant Mishra, Aman Rao Perala, Ravi Bishnoi, Tushar Deshpande, Adam Milne, Sandeep Sharma, Shimron Hetmyer, Kuldeep Sen, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Kwena Maphaka, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Emanjot Singh Chahal, Vignesh Puthur
Sunrisers Hyderabad Squad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan(w), Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, Smaran Ravichandran, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins(c), Shivang Kumar, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain, Praful Hinge, Aniket Verma, Liam Livingstone, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Kamindu Mendis, Zeeshan Ansari, Gerald Coetzee, Dilshan Madushanka, Krains Fuletra, Onkar Tarmale, RS Ambrish, Amit Kumar.
— ANI
Reader Comments
I've been watching IPL since 2008 and never seen such raw talent at this age. His strike rate of 232 is insane! But let's be realistic – SRH's bowling attack has Cummins, Bishnoi, and Hetmyer in the field. Seven sixes under pressure won't be easy. Hope he proves me wrong! 🙏
Guy hits a six every 4.7 balls – that's like one maximum per over! Compare that to Gayle's 2012 season when he was 33. Imagine what Sooryavanshi will be at 25. Indian cricket's future is bright, bhai. Just need to manage his workload and keep him grounded.
As someone who watched Gayle's 175* live on TV, I never thought I'd see a teenager come close to his six-hitting record. Sooryavanshi is a phenomenon. Seven sixes is doable if he gets going – he's already hit 4 sixes in an over twice this season. Let's go RR! 🏏
One small concern – the article says he's hit 54% of his runs through sixes. That's incredible but also risky. What if he faces a good spell of slower balls or yorkers? SRH has bowlers who can adapt. I'm rooting for him but hope he has a backup plan if the sixes don't come early.
From Bihar to IPL stardom – this is what dreams are made of! His consistency with 583 runs at 41+
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