Sachin Tendulkar and Vaibhav Suryavanshi (Agency photo)
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi admitted that he was stunned after learning that Sachin Tendulkar had praised his stunning knock in the IPL 2026 Eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad, calling it a proud and extremely motivating moment in his young career.The 15-year-old once again lit up the IPL stage with a stunning innings of 97 off just 29 balls, helping Rajasthan Royals thrash SRH by 47 runs and move one step closer to the final. Sooryavanshi smashed 12 sixes during his explosive presence at the crease and came within three runs of Chris Gayle’s record for the fastest century in IPL history.
His fearless attack left the cricket world in awe, with Sachin Tendulkar even taking to X to praise the youngster’s exceptional batting and attacking style.
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“Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s delivery with the bat was fantastic. What was even more amazing was how beautifully he moved his front foot to make room for balls aimed at his legs. This freedom allows him to play the way he plays. That innings was nothing short of amazing!” Tendulkar tweeted.The batting legend’s eulogy turned out to be an emotional moment for Suryavanshi, who revealed that he was not aware of the tweet until his teammate Dhruv Gurriel mentioned it during a chat to the IPL website.
Reacting to Tendulkar’s words, the teenager admitted that it was a feeling of pride and motivation to get recognition from someone he considers the ‘god of cricket’.“It feels really good sir. It motivates me. You just told me that; I was not aware of it. And of course, everyone knows that he is the God of Cricket. If he tweets something like this, it is a big deal for us that a legend like him is tweeting about us. So, of course, it is a matter of pride,” Suryavanshi said in the video on the IPL website.Sooryavanshi’s innings against Hyderabad once again underscored why he has become the breakout star of IPL 2026. The left-handed opener tore up SRH’s bowling attack from the start, smashing Pat Cummins early for six in a row before unleashing complete destruction in the ensuing overs.He raced to his half-century in just 16 balls and later surpassed Chris Gayle’s long-standing record for the most sixes in a single IPL season.
With 65 sixes already this year, the teenager has transformed Rajasthan Royals into one of the most dangerous batting units in the competition.The hit also moved him to the top of the Orange Cap standings. Sooryavanshi has now scored 680 runs from 15 innings at an average of 45.33 and an impressive strike rate of 242.85.Despite the growing interest and record numbers, the young man insisted that his focus remains simple.“I think a little, not a lot. Try to keep things simple. I try to play with good faith and control the bowlers. I want to put pressure on the bowler. My focus (today) was to contribute to the team, my focus now is how to win the title.”Rajasthan Royals will now take on Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2, with a place in the IPL 2026 final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at stake.