West Indies legend Chris Gayle has reacted with admiration after Rajasthan Royals’ teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi shattered one of the most iconic records in Indian Premier League history during the IPL 2026 Eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Mullanpur. The 15-year-old produced a breathtaking display of power-hitting to guide Rajasthan Royals to a dominant victory and leave the cricketing world stunned.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi shatters Chris Gayle’s long-standing record
Suryavanshi unleashed absolute carnage against the SRH bowling attack and etched his name into the IPL record books with a sensational knock of 97 runs off just 28 deliveries. The left-handed batter smashed an astonishing 12 sixes during his explosive innings and surpassed Gayle’s long-standing record for the most sixes in a single IPL season.
Gayle had set the benchmark in 2012 when he hammered 59 sixes for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. That record stood untouched for 14 years before Suryavanshi stormed past it with his 65th maximum of the season. What made the feat even more extraordinary was the speed at which the youngster achieved it.
While Gayle had required 456 balls to complete his record-breaking season in 2012, Suryavanshi crossed the milestone in only 266 deliveries, highlighting the fearless approach and destructive consistency he has displayed throughout IPL 2026.
The RR opener also created another historic milestone by smashing the most sixes in an IPL playoff or knockout match. His 12 maximums eclipsed the previous record of 10 sixes set by Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill during his unforgettable century against Mumbai Indians in the 2023 playoffs.
Gayle crowns Suryavanshi as cricket’s “New Six Machine”
Soon after the record was broken, Gayle took to social media platform X to congratulate the teenage batter and officially welcomed him as cricket’s latest power-hitting superstar. The former West Indies opener, famously known as the “Universe Boss,” was full of praise for the youngster and acknowledged the entertainment he brought to fans during the high-pressure Eliminator clash.
“What a phenomenal player Vaibhav is. Great entertainment young man! New Six machine @IPL,” Gayle posted on X.
What a phenomenal player Vaibhav is. Great entertainment young man! New Six machine @IPL pic.twitter.com/ofElAousF7
— Chris Gayle (@henrygayle) May 27, 2026
The appreciation from one of T20 cricket’s greatest entertainers quickly went viral among fans, with many describing it as a symbolic passing of the torch from one generation of six-hitters to another.
Suryavanshi misses Gayle’s fastest T20 century record by the finest margin
Suryavanshi’s astonishing innings also brought him agonisingly close to another legendary Gayle record. The young batter nearly registered the fastest century in T20 cricket history, a feat Gayle achieved in 2013 with a 30-ball hundred against Pune Warriors India. The Rajasthan Royals opener raced to 97 runs in just 28 deliveries and needed only one more scoring shot to reach a historic 29-ball century. However, in an attempt to clear the boundary once again, Suryavanshi mistimed a shot and was caught at deep third man.
Despite missing out on the landmark, his innings completely changed the momentum of the contest and powered Rajasthan Royals to a commanding total. RR eventually defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 47 runs to secure their place in Qualifier 2, where they will now face Gujarat Titans for a spot in the IPL 2026 final.
At just 15 years of age, Suryavanshi has already achieved what many established stars could only dream of, and his record-breaking season is rapidly turning him into the face of cricket’s next generation.
