Mullanpur (Punjab) [India], May 29 (ANI): Rajasthan Royals (RR) teen prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi became the fastest player to complete 1,000 runs in an Indian Premier League (IPL) season in terms of balls taken.

Sooryavanshi registered another massive score in another knockout match, producing another gem of a knock when his team lost wickets at the other end. The 15-year-old left-hander made 86 in 47 balls, with eight fours and seven sixes at a strike rate of 204.26.

In 16 matches, Sooryavanshi has scored 776 runs in 16 matches and innings at an average of 48.50, with a strike rate of 237.30, with a century and five fifties and a best score of 103. It also includes 63 fours and 72 sixes, making it a generational season on all counts.

This is the fifth-best IPL season in terms of runs, with Virat Kohli (973 runs in 2016), Shubman Gill (890 runs in 2023), Jos Buttler (863 runs in 2022) and David Warner (848 runs in 2016).

In 23 matches and innings, Sooryavanshi has 1,028 runs at an average of 44.69 and a strike rate of 228.95, including two centuries and six fifties, with a best score of 103.

He is the fastest to reach 1,000 IPL runs, in just 440 balls, outdoing West Indies legend Andre Russell (in 545 balls). In terms of innings, Sooryavanshi is the second fastest, reaching the milestone in 23 innings, with former Australia and Punjab Kings (PBKS) star Shaun Marsh (21 innings) at the top.

He is also the first-ever batter in IPL history to have 500 or more runs in a single edition during the powerplay stage, with 521 runs at a strike rate of 233.33.

Coming to the match, RR won the toss and opted to bat first. RR faced an early collapse at 9/2, losing Yashasvi Jaiswal (1) and Dhruv Jurel (7) early. Sooryavanshi and Ravindra Jadeja (45 in 35 balls, with five fours and a six) stitched a 92-run stand until Jadeja retired hurt, having made 34 runs. Following that, RR collapsed to 118/5. However, Sooryavanshi kept going hammer and tongs at the other end, stitching another half-century stand with Jadeja. Later, Donovan Ferreira (38* in 11 balls, with two fours and four sixes) and Jadeja took RR to 214/6 in 20 overs.

Kagiso Rabada (2/35) was the pick of the bowlers for GT, with Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna also having taken a wicket. (ANI)