Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is a kid out of control

By K.R. Nayar 

What is a kid gone out of control called? Are they called disruptive because they disrupt people and activities around them, turn order into chaos and calmly walk away from the mess? Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is a kid out of control. He upsets bowlers, unsettles the opponent captain’s plans, and destroys their hopes of winning the match. He smashed 93 runs off 38 balls, with seven boundaries and ten sixes, ensuring a seven-wicket win for Rajasthan Royals (RR) over Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on May 19, 2026, refusing to calm down and continuously annoying the bowlers. 

Every trait of a delightfully uncontrollable kid was on full display in that match. The sad part for the bowlers was that even an effort to tire him by forcing him to take runs through singles and doubles failed. Out of his 93 runs, 88 came from hits to the boundaries or over them. This meant it was the fielders who were getting tired, running frequently to the boundary. He did not even run as much as the bowlers, especially the pacers who ran up to bowl to him. He behaved like a spoiled kid, not wanting to leave the crease even for his runs. At times it felt like he was hitting those boundaries just to stand at the crease and watch the spectators cheer for him.

There is a lot one can observe from his sixes. Whenever he hit sixes into the crowd, it felt like he had done it for the crowd to hold the ball, something they could not have otherwise. The hit into the crowd also seemed like his way of thanking them for their claps and cheers. Bowlers and fielders were unable to yell at him, even if they wanted to, because he is still a kid.

Children who are out of control or unruly, display anger or mischief on their faces, but Sooryavanshi looks calm and cheerful. He attributes that to the fact that he plays for enjoyment, something he reiterated after receiving the Player of the Match award. He seemed to be unaware that his enjoyment was his opponent’s nightmare.

In the 2012 IPL, Chris Gayle had hit 59 sixes. Sooryavanshi, born in 2011, was only a one-year-old kid then - probably struggling to hold a toy, let alone a bat. In this season, he has hit 53 sixes so far and may go past that record. 

Let’s closely examine each of those 10 sixes against LSG. His first six off Mayank Yadav was a hit over extra cover. After playing that shot, he held his pose for photographers to capture a good still photo. It seemed like he wanted everyone to see his favourite shot.

His second six had a tinge of child-like mischievousness in it. Prince Yadav bowled a 140.6 km/h delivery. Sooryavanshi moved out of the way and guided it over the wicketkeeper to the third-man boundary. The third six, off Akash Singh, was a pull over deep square leg, and the fielder at the boundary had to helplessly watch it sail over his head.

Every six had the Sooryavanshi stamp on it. The fourth, off Akash Singh again, was hit with the middle of the bat over deep mid-wicket. After he was applauded for his 23-ball fifty, he created an ‘A’ with his fingers, making everyone wonder what it meant. When asked about it after he received the Player of the Match award, he said: “I just do something new every match. I don’t really plan it. There’s no meaning behind it. Even the way I celebrated in the last match had no meaning.” Since there was no meaning, it made fans guess whether the ‘A’ sign was meant to indicate that he should be considered an adult and not a kid anymore.

Sooryavanshi creates an A with his fingers 

The fifth six, off Digvesh Singh Rathi, was a beauty to watch because he picked the googly correctly, went on his back knee, and hit it wide over long-off. That shot left many wonder how a kid could generate so much power behind that shot. His sixth and seventh sixes were off consecutive deliveries from Prince Yadav, and the seventh was his 50th IPL six this season. The eighth and ninth sixes left fans amazed at his footwork. The 10th six, and the last of his innings, off Rathi, was off a flat delivery, and he hit a flat six.

Fans are now never satisfied with his six-hitting, and they want to see more. They forget that Sooryavanshi is still a kid and that he has his limits. They know that what they are watching is a miracle in cricket. They believe he can easily hit double the number of sixes he has already hit, and that he was hitting bowlers double his age. It’s a fact that a kid gone out of control cannot be controlled. In Sooryavanshi’s case it is better off letting him run free.