AHMEDABAD — Vaibhav Sooryavanshi won the Orange Cap as the highest run-scorer in IPL 2026 with 776 runs and was named the season’s Most Valuable Player. The 15-year-old batter, representing Rajasthan Royals, also claimed the Emerging Player of the Season, Super Striker of the Season, and Super Sixes of the Season awards.
Sooryavanshi scored his 776 runs in 16 innings at a strike rate of 237.30. He hit 72 sixes during the season, breaking Chris Gayle’s previous IPL record of 59 sixes in a single campaign, and added 63 fours. His highest score was 103, and he recorded back-to-back knocks of 97 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator and 96 against Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2.
He became the youngest-ever Orange Cap winner in IPL history at 15 years and 65 days old. During Qualifier 2, Sooryavanshi reached 1,000 career IPL runs, making him the youngest batter to achieve the milestone. He accomplished the feat in just 440 balls faced, the fastest in IPL history by balls faced.
More than two-thirds of his runs came in the powerplay, with 521 scored in the first six overs—the highest powerplay run total in a single IPL season. Rajasthan Royals had signed him for 1.1 crore rupees (£103,789) at the 2025 IPL auction, and he had debuted for the franchise at age 14, becoming the youngest player to feature in the IPL.
Sooryavanshi’s individual prize earnings from IPL 2026 exceeded £30,000, and he received a Tata Sierra as part of his award package. The minimum legal driving age in India is 18. He has also been named to India’s 30-member probables list for the upcoming Asian Games men’s cricket competition.
"It's a proud moment, it feels great and I'll try to do even better next season." Sooryavanshi said. "How to play each game, you can't play every game the same way. If I have to stay injury free I have to work on my fitness. Everyone is very supportive. All senior players, support staff, everyone backs me and it's a good atmosphere."
Rajasthan Royals head coach Kumar Sangakkara said Sooryavanshi was "more than ready" for international cricket. Sachin Tendulkar said, "Everyone is talking about Sooryavanshi, and I watched him bat - it was magnificent. I mean he is something truly special. And not just the ability to hit the ball, but what also fascinated me was the wrist work that he has." Tendulkar added, "I would tell him to just be himself. There is always a first time. In Test cricket, along with age, he will learn how to deal with various challenges."