Vaibhav Suryavanshi, aged 15, is creating ripples in cricket with his stunning performance in the IPL 2026 Eliminator match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, where he scored 97 runs off 29 balls. This game took place at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium, New Chandigarh. In doing so, Vaibhav increased his tally of sixes for the season to 65, beating Chris Gayle's record of 59 sixes in 2012. Following this explosive performance, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) veteran all-rounder Andre Russell shared a very special and strong message for Vaibhav.

Andre Russell, posting a story on the social media platform Instagram, praised Vaibhav Suryavanshi and responded to critics who questioned his age on social media. Russell wrote, "Congratulations, young player! Haters will say you're not 15, but who cares? Here are 30-year-olds trying their best to do everything you're doing at this age. Keep going, I've become a fan of yours. Just watch the ball and hit it!"

It's worth noting that Andre Russell himself is third on the list of players who hit the most sixes in a single season with 52 sixes (2019). In Wednesday's match, thanks to Vaibhav, Rajasthan Royals (RR) scored 125 runs in just 8 overs and posted a mammoth total of 243/8 in 20 overs. In reply, Hyderabad were bundled out for 196, and Rajasthan won the match by 47 runs.

With this win, the Rajasthan Royals have now advanced to Qualifier 2, where they will face the Gujarat Titans (GT). Interestingly, Gujarat is the same team against which Vaibhav created a stir in 2025 by scoring a century in just 35 balls.