Andre Russell above MS Dhoni in major IPL record, eyes all-time feat as playoffs approach Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

The teenage sensation of Rajasthan Royals has been turning heads with his jaw-dropping batting performances in the Indian Premier League. The 15-year-old has played a key role in RR’s run to the playoffs, having scored 583 runs and being the top run-getter of the season for the team.

Sooryavanshi scored the runs not the way but the way he scored the runs makes him an ultra-dangerous batter. Despite being so young in his career, the Southpaw does not shy away from taking risks against top bowlers like Josh Hazlewood, Mohammed Siraj and all of whom he's hit for sixes for fun. The young one has set the bar high with an astonishing strike rate of 232.27 and has hit 53 sixes in 2026.

Sooryavanshi is above the likes of Andre Russell, among others and eyes an all-time record, with the highest strike rate in a single IPL season. The 232.27 SR is the second-best in an IPL season for batsmen with 100 or more runs. He is only behind Delhi Capitals’ Jake Fraser-McGurk, who scored 330 runs from nine innings in IPL 2024 at a strike rate of 234.04.

Sooryavanshi had the best strike rate in a season until falling for four runs in RR’s last league stage outing against Mumbai Indians; however, his cheap dismissal pushed his SR below Fraser-McGurk. He is ahead of the likes of MS Dhoni (220.54 in IPL 2024) and Andre Russell (204.81 in IPL 2019).

1 - Jake Fraser-McGurk: IPL 2024 SR of 234.04

2 - Vaibhav Sooryavanshi: IPL 2026 saw him with a 232.27 SR

3 - MS Dhoni: IPL 2024 SR of 220.54

4- Rashid Khan: SR of 216.66 in IPL 2023

5 - Tim David – 216.27 SR in IPL 2022

Meanwhile, Sooryavanshi is not too far away from breaking a big record. (He has hit 53 sixes in IPL 2026 and is 7 sixes away from breaking the record of most sixes in a single T20 tournament.) Gayle hit 59 sixes in IPL 2012.

Sooryavanshi hammered 10 sixes in a jaw-dropping 93 against the Lucknow Super Giants in the previous game but did not hit a single six against MI. However, as RR have worked their way into the playoffs, he would like his chances of going past Gayle.

1 - Chris Gayle: 59 sixes in 14 innings in IPL 2012

2 - Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 53 sixes in 13 innings IPL 2026*

3 - Andre Russell- 52 sixes in 13 innings in IPL 2019.

4 - Chris Gayle - 51 sixes in 16 innings, IPL 2013

5. Chris Gayle – 47 Sixes in 11 innings (IPL 2017)