IPL 2026: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's explosive knock creates history for Rajasthan Royals
Fifteen-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi unleashed a stunning 52 off 17 balls, including five sixes, to power Rajasthan Royals to an emphatic eight-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings in their IPL 2026 opener. His blistering knock, the third-fastest IPL half-century, set up a dominant chase, marking RR's biggest win by balls remaining.
NEW DELHI: Young batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is proving unstoppable. When he is in full flow, no bowling attack can prevent him from going all guns blazing - and that was evident on Monday night. After a power-packed performance by Rajasthan Royals bowlers restricted Chennai Super Kings to a modest 127, the spotlight shifted to the 15-year-old, who did what he does best - attack from the very first ball.
Sooryavanshi smashed 52 runs off just 17 balls - a blistering knock featuring five sixes and four boundaries - as Rajasthan Royals kicked off their IPL 2026 campaign with a dominant eight-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings at the ACA Stadium on Monday. His half-century came in just 15 deliveries, the third-fastest in IPL history, setting up a comfortable victory for RR. RR register biggest win Rajasthan Royals chased down CSK’s 127 in just 12.
1 overs, finishing with eight wickets in hand and 47 balls to spare. This marked their biggest win in terms of balls remaining. The overall IPL record is still held by Mumbai Indians, who registered an 87-ball victory over Kolkata Knight Riders in 2008.
Since 2020, Rajasthan Royals have now won nine of their 11 matches against Chennai Super Kings. "I didn’t really do anything outside - there was supposed to be a cake cutting, but I went to sleep early to avoid the cake-smearing (on how he celebrated his birthday). The plan today was simply to execute well in the powerplay - initially the wicket felt a bit sticky, but as the ball got older, it started coming onto the bat nicely (on his batting approach)," Sooryavanshi said after the match.