Vaibhav Suryavanshi hits 53 sixes

Vaibhav Suryavanshi ended the IPL 2026 league phase with a number that no Indian batter had reached before in the tournament: 53 sixes in a single season. The 15-year-old Rajasthan Royals opener got there during a 93 off 38 balls against Lucknow Super Giants in Jaipur on May 19, a knock that included 10 sixes and helped Royals chase 221 with nine balls left. Indian media reports and IPL video listings recorded that innings as the one that took him past the 50-sixes mark, while ESPNcricinfo’s player profile lists him as a left-handed top-order batter born on March 27, 2011. ### How unusual is 53 sixes for an Indian batter in one IPL season? The benchmark had already moved before Tuesday. Times of India reported on May 17 that Suryavanshi had reached 43 sixes against Delhi Capitals, passing Abhishek Sharma’s previous Indian record of 42 from IPL 2024. (sports.yahoo.com) The next step came two days later in Jaipur. Yahoo Sports and other match reports said Suryavanshi’s 93 against Lucknow Super Giants made him the first Indian batter to clear 50 sixes in an IPL season, and Gulf News said the innings took him into the 50-sixes club previously associated with Chris Gayle’s higher overall mark. ### What did he do in the innings that pushed him there? (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) Jaipur was the setting for the decisive surge. Indian Express reported that Suryavanshi made 93 from 38 balls as Rajasthan Royals beat Lucknow Super Giants by seven wickets, with Dhruv Jurel finishing unbeaten on 53. IPL’s official site published a separate highlights package titled “All 10 sixes by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi vs LSG,” confirming the six count from that innings. (sports.yahoo.com) Match reports said Rajasthan chased 220 after Lucknow posted 220 for 5, with Suryavanshi collecting the player-of-the-match award. ### What do the season numbers look like beyond the sixes? (indianexpress.com) ESPNcricinfo’s profile says Suryavanshi had already broken through in IPL 2025, when he scored 252 runs in seven matches at a strike rate of 206.55 and became the youngest centurion in men’s T20 cricket with 101 off 38 balls against Gujarat Titans. The 2026 season turned that early burst into a full campaign. (iplt20.com) The source briefings for this story, supported by current match reports, place him above 500 runs in his first full season and identify innings including 93 off 38 as the standout example of his scoring rate. Reuters could not independently verify the exact final aggregate from a full official season table in the material reviewed, but multiple current reports agree on the 53 sixes and the 93 against Lucknow. (espncricinfo.com) ### Why has his age become part of the story? March 27, 2011 is Suryavanshi’s birth date, according to ESPNcricinfo and the IPL’s player page, making him 15 during this season. ESPNcricinfo also says Rajasthan Royals bought him for INR 1.1 crore before IPL 2025, when he became the youngest player to get an IPL deal. Indian Express reported that Rajasthan talent scout Zubin Bharucha had tracked Suryavanshi’s batting method from his early teens, and the same report described a backlift and shot range that were already prominent in the Lucknow innings. (sports.yahoo.com) That has made him a test case for how franchises identify and fast-track teenage batting talent. (espncricinfo.com) ### What comes next after the six-hitting record? May 20 is the next date in the playoff race. The upstream briefing for this story said Rajasthan Royals were among the teams still contesting the final IPL 2026 playoff place with a handful of league matches left, and IPL schedule listings on ESPNcricinfo show Kolkata Knight Riders playing Mumbai Indians later on Wednesday. (espncricinfo.com) (indianexpress.com)