Chris Gayle reacts as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi breaks his IPL sixes record

Former West Indies captain Chris Gayle has given his stamp of approval to Indian teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi after the Rajasthan Royals opener broke his long-standing IPL six-hitting record in spectacular fashion during the Eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Gayle, widely regarded as one of the most destructive batters in T20 history, labelled the 15-year-old as cricket’s “new six machine” after Sooryavanshi produced a sensational 97 off just 29 balls in Mullanpur on Wednesday.

The youngster struck 12 towering sixes and five fours at a staggering strike rate of 334.48, leaving the cricketing world in awe.

“What a phenomenal player Vaibhav is. Great entertainment young man! New six machine,” Gayle wrote on social media after the match.

Sooryavanshi’s explosive innings powered Rajasthan Royals to a commanding total of 243-8 and saw him rewrite IPL history. 

His 12 sixes in the match took his season tally to 65 maximums in IPL 2026, the most by any batter in a single IPL campaign and also the highest in any T20 tournament.

In doing so, he surpassed Gayle’s iconic record of 59 sixes set during his legendary 2012 season with Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Notably, Sooryavanshi achieved the milestone in just 266 deliveries, compared to Gayle’s 456-ball effort.

The 15-year-old also came agonisingly close to another historic feat, missing out on the fastest IPL century by just three runs. After the match, he admitted he was unaware of the milestone during his innings.

“I got to know after the game,” he said at the post-match presentation. “My focus was on hitting a six. I will score centuries in the future but the focus was on getting maximum runs for the team.”

Sooryavanshi further highlighted his fearless approach that has made him one of the breakout stars of the season.

“I try to analyse how to face the bowlers and judge the length of the boundaries. When I am showing good intent, the bowler is under pressure,” he added. “We have won so we will celebrate and then focus on the next game. I just try to play my natural game.”

Rajasthan Royals eventually defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 47 runs after bowling them out for 196 in 19.2 overs, with Jofra Archer starring with the ball.

The victory secured Rajasthan Royals’ place in Qualifier 2 against Gujarat Titans, but the night belonged firmly to Sooryavanshi, whose extraordinary hitting drew admiration from the original “Universe Boss” himself.