IPL finals 2026: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi wins orange cap after a record breaking season ending it with strike rate of 237.31
At the age of 15 years and 65 days, the Rajasthan Royals player became the youngest player to receive the Orange Cap. His season consisted of one century and five half-centuries, making him one of the standout players of the tournament.
Record breaking campaign
Sooryavanshi enters the IPL 2026 final as the leading run-scorer, the tournament’s best six-hitter and one of the leading candidates for the Most Valuable Player award.
The youngster hit 72 sixes during the season, surpassing the previous IPL record of 59 set by Chris Gayle. His six-strike rate was also significantly higher, hitting the boundary once every 4.31 balls, compared to Gayle’s rate of one six every 7.73 balls in the 2012 season.
Sooryavanshi also became the fastest Indian to complete 1,000 IPL runs, reaching the milestone in just his 23rd innings.
Near misses and explosive hits
His aggressive approach nearly set a new record. In the final match of the league phase for Rajasthan Royals, Sooryavanshi came close to breaking Gayle’s record for the fastest IPL century.
He needed a six off his 29th ball to achieve the feat and was caught at third man before reaching the milestone. He made just shy of a century against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator earlier in the season, leaving with 97 from 29 deliveries.
Orange Cap’s standings
Gujarat Titans’ Shubman Gill stood second on the run scoring charts with 732 runs in 16 innings, while his teammate Sai Sudharsan came third with 724 runs.
Even though the Rajasthan Royals failed to make it to the final, Sooryavanshi’s outstanding season ensured that he remained in the limelight until the final day of the tournament in Ahmedabad.
