Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan The teenage sensation has heaped praise on Vibhu Suryavanshi, saying that the young bowler is instilling the same fear as the legendary T20 powerhouse. Chris Gayle Once did during his boom years. Pathan also believes that Suryavanshi is now genuinely threatening Gayle’s long-standing IPL record of 59 sixes in a single season.Rajasthan Royals The 15-year-old kept their hopes of the IPL 2026 playoffs alive with a thrilling seven-wicket victory over Lucknow Supergiants at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, thanks to another impressive innings. Chasing a tough target of 221, Suryavanshi scored 93 runs off just 38 balls at an astonishing strike rate of 244.74, which included seven fours and 10 massive sixes. The explosive streak also helped him make history as the first Indian batsman to hit 50 sixes in an IPL season.Earlier in the evening, LSG posted a massive score of 220/5 after a formidable opening partnership between Mitchell Marsh and Josh Inglis. Marsh scored 96 runs off 57 balls while Inglis scored 60 runs off just 29 balls. Yash Raj Punia emerged as one of the RR bowlers with figures of 2/35.In the chase, Yashvi Jaiswal provided the early momentum, while Suryavanshi started cautiously, scoring just five runs off his first 10 balls. But once he got in, the youngster completely took over the competition, scoring 24 runs in an over against Akash Singh and reaching a brilliant half-century off 23 balls.Speaking after the match, Pathan highlighted Suryavanshi’s batting maturity and improved range as the most impressive aspects of his innings.“It was unbelievable. The maturity he showed was a highlight for me. Whenever we see Vibhu Suryavanshi we always say he is a very good leg side player, but the way he played offside in this game was outstanding,” Pathan said on JioStar.“He has great control over his backlift. He was driving over cover and even played an uppercut at third man. He is very difficult to stop,” he added.“In his first 10 balls, he was batting at a strike rate of less than 100, and by the end of the innings, he had scored 93 runs off just 38 balls,” noted Pathan.The former India all-rounder then drew a striking comparison with Chris Gayle, saying that bowlers are starting to feel the same fear against Surya Vinshi that they experienced against the West Indies icon.“With 53 sixes, he is actually going behind Chris Gayle’s record of 59 sixes, which has stood since 2012. As bowlers, we always feared facing Chris Gayle. Vibhu Suryavanshi is instilling the same fear, and Gayle’s record is definitely under threat,” concluded Pathan.
