‘My new favourite player’: Pat Cummins in awe of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi after 15-year old’s stunning ton

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New Delhi: Pat Cummins called Vaibhav Sooryavanshi his new favourite player after the 15-year-old smashed a stunning 36-ball century against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 on Saturday. Cummins found himself on the receiving end of a stunning onslaught from the Rajasthan Royals (RR) teenage sensation, who took the SRH bowlers to the cleaners in the game.

Sooryavanshi stole the show at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur with his blistering 103-run knock of just 37 deliveries, which was studded with a staggering 12 sixes and five fours. However, his ton went in vain as SRH chased down the target of 229 runs to register a comfortable 5-wicket win in the game.

Speaking after his side’s victory in Jaipur, Cummins expressed admiration for Sooryavanshi and said the 15-year-old is his new favourite player. He lauded his natural aggressive approach and called the teenage sensation impressive for someone his age.

“I think he’s my new favourite player. He hits the ball so hard, it’s great to watch. It’s good fun,” he said at the post-match press conference. He further added, “You have to be right on the money as a bowler. If you are not, it’s going a long way. It’s impressive. He has had a great start to his career, and yeah, I like the way he plays. Takes the game on,” said Cummins, lauding Sooryavanshi.

After proving his mettle against some of the best bowlers in the world, including the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Josh Hazlewood, Sooryavanshi continued his impressive run against Cummins. He smashed a six off the first ball he faced from the SRH and Australia captain, making his intentions clear. Sooryavanshi faced only four deliveries from Cummins in the game, but the 15-year-old’s approach stood out for the SRH captain.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi smashes records with stunning ton

Sooryavanshi achieved multiple feats with his stunning ton against SRH on Saturday. The RR sensation smashed 12 sixes to set the record for the most sixes by an Indian in an innings in the IPL. He also became the fastest to 50 sixes in the IPL, achieving the milestone in just 15 innings. Sooryavanshi also became the first batter to his three fifties in 15 or fewer deliveries in the league.

However, his terrific ton went in vain as the Rajasthan Royals failed to defend a strong total of 228 runs at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. SRH rode on Ishan Kishan’s cracking 74 off 31, opener Abhishek Sharma’s 29-ball 57 and Nitish Kumar Reddy’s quickfire 36 off 18 balls to chase down the target of 229 runs with nine balls to spare.

SRH registered a thumping five-wicket win in the game to jump to the third spot on the IPL 2026 points table with ten points after eight matches so far this season. Cummins shone on his return for SRH as he finished with excellent figures of 1/27 off his 4 overs despite Sooryavanshi’s onslaught in the game.