IPL 2026: Vaibhav Suryavanshi not afraid of world's best bowler Jasprit Bumrah, smokes him for 1st-ball six

IPL 2026: Vaibhav Suryavanshi was at his very best, while facing Jasprit Bumrah for the first time ever.

“I don’t see the name (of the bowler) much, I just see the ball and play.” This is what then 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi had told the broadcaster, after the teenager smashed a 35-ball ton against GT, in IPL 2025. Many would have felt, at that point, that the boy is a an uber-talented cricketer, who perhaps was borderline overconfident.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi vs Jasprit Bumrah

Cut to IPL 2026, RR vs MI. he faces the best bowler in the world — Jasprit Bumrah, and treats him the same way, he does other bowlers — at least a decade old, with much international experience behind them. In a rain-curtailed match on Tuesday, just about everyone was gearing up for the Suryavanshi-Bumrah battle, and the boy from Bihar did not disappoint.

Call it his luck, the very first ball Bumrah bowled to him, was right in the slot, and all Survanshi had to do was, get under it, and with his Yuvrajesque bat speed, it was bound to be a six only. That perhaps too the bowler by a surprise, who only resorted to slower deliveries from then on. Once again, he was found out, and Suryanshi pulled him for another six.

Eventually he got out for 39 from 15, but the message was loud and clear, ‘the name does not matter’, and he showed really why. Just to set the records straight, this was the first time, the duo faced-off. Just to go a little further as to how good this southpaw batter is, he hits a six every 4.9 deliveries — the best by any batter in IPL who has faced 20 deliveries or more.

Romario Shepherd is next on the list at 5.1, followed by Urvil Patel at 5.3, Jake Fraser-McGurk at 6.4 and Andre Russell at 6.8. Talking further about the records he holds, he equalled the record of most sixes by an Indian in innings – 11. He also set the record, along with Yashasvi Jaiswal, for breaking the 500-run barrier, the fastest.

In addition, after 10 innings, he has the most sixes by an batter ever in the tournament — 35. The next on the list is Fraser-McGurk — 28, Shaun Marsh — 25, Nitish Rana — 24, and Chris Lynn & Priyansh Arya — 22 each.