IPL 2026 | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s new normal: Even Bumrah not spared if the ball is there to be hit

It is not everyday that Jasprit Bumrah gets smashed for big sixes, let alone on the first ball of his spell. For that to come from a 15-year-old 'kid' should be even more surprising, but with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, such starts are becoming the norm.

In the rain-affected Indian Premier League (IPL) match at Guwahati on Tuesday, Sooryavanshi, opening for Rajasthan Royals smashed his first ball for a massive six over long on to welcome Bumrah into the game. That was a rare slot ball from one of the world's best.

As if to stamp his authority on the India's premier pacer, the southpaw dispatched another one into the stands three balls later, this time a pull over square leg.

Two sixes in a Bumrah over is almost unheard of and that gave RR a rollicking start over the five-time champions. The first over of the innings, bowled by Deepak Chahar, had produced 22 runs from the bat of the other opener, Yashasvi Jaiswal.

The 15-year-old did not stop there. His best shot of the day came in the next over bowled by New Zealand veteran Trent Boult. A length ball outside off stump was dispatched effortlessly straight over the bowler's head for another six.

He hit two more sixes against Shardul Thakur, another India international, before being dismissed for 39 runs. Those runs came in just 14 balls and included five monstrous sixes. It was a knock that set the tone for the 11-over innings.

Jaiswal continued the rampage and remained unbeaten on 77 runs off just 32 balls, smashing 10 fours and four sixes as RR posted 150/3 in just 11 overs. The score was enough to secure their third straight victory and jump to the top of the table as MI went down by 27 runs.

While Jaiswal walked away with the Player of the Match award, it was Sooryavanshi's audacity that laid the foundation for the win.

Such cameos have now become a norm for Sooryavanshi. He had slammed the first ball of his IPL career for a six over extra cover against Thakur last year, and had followed it up with a breathtaking 35-ball ton against Gujarat Titan, which had bowlers like Mohammed Siraj, Rashid Khan and Prasidh Krishna in its lineup.

In the past one year, he has only grown to be more dangerous, having represented India at the Emerging Asia Cup and the Under-19 World Cup. In the final of the latter tournament, the then 14-year-old hammered 15 fours and 15 sixes on his way to a mammoth score of 175 off just 80 balls.

In the 10 IPL matches that he has played so far, Sooryavanshi has an astonishing strike rate of 218, while also maintaining an average of over 37, including two half-centuries and a ton.