Vaibhav Suryavanshi forces writers like me to find new words to describe him. Today I’ve decided to call him a ‘prodigious talent’. In the past, I’ve used superlatives like ‘prodigy’, ‘generational talent’, ‘wonderkid’, and ‘future superstar’. So, into my mind I went to bring you another flowery word to best define him.
In other words, the 15-year-old has left me out of words. What can I say that others aren’t? Three days ago, Suryavanshi had smashed Jasprit Bumrah for a six on the first ball he faced off him. Bumrah’s arguably the greatest all-format fast bowler cricket has seen. He was coming off a generational run in the T20 World Cup 2026.
After Bumrah, Suryavanshi smashes Hazlewood
Gave away a mere 20 runs against the Delhi Capitals. Then comes this genius of a kid. Along with no hair on his face, he has no fear. Bumrah even smiled after Suryavanshi launched him. A couple of balls later, he did it again. This time, no one was shocked. They were just in awe. If you can do that to Bumrah, well, no bowler is safe.
That’s why when Suryavanshi smashed 18 runs off 4 balls to Josh Hazlewood. Four, four, four, and six. No one was really shocked. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) had won their maiden title off the back of Hazlewood. Here he was, getting manhandled by a 15-year-old.
In the last couple of years, Hazlewood has been the best all-format bowler since Bumrah hasn’t played any ODI since November 2023. Yet, here was Suryavanshi treating him like a club bowler. Mind you, Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed by Hazlewood in the previous over.
Fastest fifty in IPL (among Indians)
- 13 – Yashasvi Jaiswal (RR) vs KKR, Kolkata, 2023
- 14 – KL Rahul (PBKS) vs DC, Mohali, 2018
- 15 – Yusuf Pathan (KKR) vs SRH, Kolkata, 2014
- 15 – Vaibhav Suryavanshi (RR) vs CSK, Guwahati, 2026
- 15 – Vaibhav Suryavanshi (RR) vs RCB, Guwahati, 2026
In the process, Suryavanshi smashes another 15-ball half-century, his second of IPL 2026. He now has the most runs and sixes in the tournament. He faced 18 balls or 3 overs in the powerplay and scored 57 runs. Teams don’t score this many combined. RCB had scored 61 in the first innings.
The destruction didn’t stop. RCB tried to change things up since RR were 111/1 after 7 overs. Tim David was handed the ball by Rajat Patidar, and Suryavanshi wasn’t going to spare him. With 2 sixes off the part-time off-spinner, he reduced the target to just 72 needed off 72. Krunal Pandya got him the very next ball, but the deed was done. Another innings to remember.
Words really can’t describe what we are witnessing. Whatever Sachin Tendulkar did, Suryavanshi is replicating it. Dare I say, as a massive Tendulkar admirer myself, it’s surpassing him.
