IPL 2026 | 'Get his bat checked': Vaibhav Sooryavanshi accused of using ‘AI chip’

The young batting sensation has been accused of using an AI-generated chip in his bat to get more power.

Young batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who hammered the third fastest hundred in Indian Premier League (IPL) history off 36 balls has been accused of using an AI chip to generate more power by Pakistan’s cricket expert Nauman Niaz.

Sooryavanshi, Rajasthan Royals' chubby-cheeked hero, who has taken the cricket world by storm, scored his second IPL ton -- 103 off 37 balls -- albeit it came in a losing cause against the Pat Cummins-led Sunrisers Hyderabad in their recent match.

The ⁠century was the third fastest in IPL history, after Chris Gayle's 30-ball ton in 2013 and Sooryavanshi's own 35-ball hundred last year.

He hit 12 sixes ⁠and five boundaries as he completed his ‌second century in the ​IPL, shortly after reaching 1,000 runs in T20 cricket, having faced just 473 balls in the format.

However, Niaz, who is known for his controversial comments said Sooryavanshi is using the AI-chip to generate more power on his bat.

“Think about it. What is this kid? Get his bat checked. Like WADA conducts dope tests, send him to a lab. He probably used an AI chip in his bat. He is unreal. What a player. I did get a feeling he was playing a tad slow. This made me think, what is this guy? When you’re 18, your body builds muscle, biceps, and triceps. This one is just 16. He was born when Virat Kohli was a world champion. He doesn’t have the power game as much as he has technique. He is a wristy player, plus, if you look at this arc, he used the full 360 degree,” Niaz was quoted as saying on his a show ‘SmashHit’.

Such has been his hitting prowess that pundits and aficionados are in awe of the 15-year-old for his rich repertoire of strokes executed with brute force and timing.

So impressive has been Sooryavanshi that his name has been put in the list of 35 T20 specialists that the national selectors have picked as probable for the T20I leg of the Ireland tour in June-July.

Rajasthan Royals, the inaugural champions of IPL, who are currently perched fourth in IPL 2026 table, take on Punjab Kings in their next match on Tuesday (April 28).