The high-stakes Eliminator of the 2026 Indian Premier League at the newly minted New Chandigarh stadium witnessed cricket history on Wednesday. The Rajasthan Royals marched into the next stage by handing the Sunrisers Hyderabad a crushing 47-run defeat.
Sent in to bat first, the Royals posted a mammoth total of 243 for 8 in their allotted 20 overs. The headline of the night belonged to the fifteen-year-old phenom Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who tore the Hyderabad bowling attack to shreds with a breathtaking 97 runs off just 29 deliveries. His volcanic knock included 5 fours and a staggering 12 sixes, flying past a 16-ball half-century that matched the fastest playoff fifty in league history. Dhruv Jurel kept the pressure on with an explosive 50 off 21 balls, while captain Riyan Parag contributed a quickfire 26. For SRH, Praful Hinge was the pick of the bowlers, picking up 3 wickets for 54 runs.
Chasing a target of 244, Sunrisers Hyderabad’s reply disintegrated early against premium fast bowling. Jofra Archer rocked the top order with an exceptional spell of 3 for 58, removing both openers cheap, including Abhishek Sharma for a duck. Despite valiant resistance from Nitish Kumar Reddy, who scored 38 off 20 balls, and Salil Arora‘s 35, SRH was bowled out for 196 in 19.2 overs. Nandre Burger and Sushant Mishra shared two wickets apiece to seal the comprehensive victory. Suryavanshi walked away with the Player of the Match honours after an unforgettable evening where he rewrote the T20 record books.
Top 5 players with most sixes in single season of IPL
The art of maximum boundary clearance defines modern T20 cricket, and a select few batters have elevated it into an absolute spectacle. Following the historic night in New Chandigarh, here are the top five players who have cleared the fence the most times in a solitary edition of the tournament.
- Vaibhav Suryavanshi (65 Sixes — IPL 2026, Rajasthan Royals)
The teenage sensation completely shattered the ceiling of what was thought possible for an individual campaign. Entering the Eliminator with 53 maximums, Suryavanshi hammered 12 towering sixes on his way to 97 runs, moving his season tally to a historic 65 sixes. His unmatched bat speed has allowed him to eclipse global heavyweights while anchoring Rajasthan’s title charge.
- Chris Gayle (59 Sixes — IPL 2012, Royal Challengers Bangalore)
For fourteen years, the ‘Universe Boss’ sat comfortably on top of this mountain. During his legendary 2012 campaign, the iconic Jamaican left-hander smashed 59 sixes across the season. Gayle combined raw, unmatched power with unique swagger, turning Bangalore’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium into a regular landing zone for cricket balls.
- Andre Russell (52 Sixes — IPL 2019, Kolkata Knight Riders)
The powerhouse from Jamaica displayed pure, unadulterated brute force in 2019. Single-handedly dragging Kolkata Knight Riders out of impossible situations, Russell cleared the boundary 52 times in just one edition. What made his feat terrifying for bowlers was his ability to hit sixes from ball one, regardless of dimensions or boundary sizes.
- Chris Gayle (51 Sixes — IPL 2013, Royal Challengers Bangalore)
Highlighting his utter dominance of the era, Gayle features twice on this elite list. A year after setting the record, he backed it up by crashing 51 sixes in the 2013 edition. This was the famous summer where he notched his historic, unbeaten 175 against Pune Warriors, cementing his status as the premier boundary hitter in world cricket.
- Jos Buttler (45 Sixes — IPL 2022, Rajasthan Royals)
Before Suryavanshi’s breakthrough, Jos Buttler held the record for the most maximums in a single season for the Rajasthan franchise. In a spectacular 2022 run where he registered four centuries, the English batter combined flawless technique with explosive power to hit 45 sixes, leading his side all the way to the final.
