15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Smashes Records as Youngest Orange Cap Winner in IPL History

Ahmedabad: Indian cricket's newest phenomenon, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, has capped off a breathtaking Indian Premier League season by becoming the youngest-ever recipient of the Orange Cap, rewriting record books at just 15 years and 65 days of age.

The Rajasthan Royals opener finished IPL 2026 with a staggering 776 runs from 16 innings, a tally that remained untouched after Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill and fellow opener Sai Sudharsan failed to mount a successful challenge in Sunday's final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

With Rajasthan's campaign ending in Qualifier 2, Sooryavanshi had already completed his season. Yet his extraordinary run-scoring exploits ensured that no batter could catch him. Gill ended the tournament with 732 runs, while defending Orange Cap holder Sai Sudharsan accumulated 722.

The teenager's achievement shattered another age-related benchmark. Until now, Sudharsan's Orange Cap triumph in 2025, at 23 years and 231 days, stood as the record for the youngest winner of the award. What separated Sooryavanshi from the rest was not merely the volume of runs but the manner in which they came. The Bihar-born prodigy scored at an astonishing strike rate of 237.31, producing an aggressive brand of batting rarely witnessed in the tournament's history.

His six-hitting spree became one of the defining stories of the season. Sooryavanshi launched 72 sixes across the campaign, eclipsing the long-standing IPL record of 59 set by Chris Gayle and establishing a new benchmark for power-hitting excellence. IANS

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