Cummins hails teen wonder Sooryavanshi as 'my new favourite player'

Australia’s Pat Cummins says Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is his “new favourite player” after the 15-year-old sensation became the youngest and fastest to score 1,000 T20 runs in a 36-ball century in the IPL.

The Rajasthan Royals opener blasted 103 off 37 balls for his second IPL ton on Saturday, bolstering his reputation as the brightest young talent in world cricket.

The fearless batsman hammered five fours and 12 sixes en route to his hundred, shortly after reaching 1,000 runs in T20 cricket with 473 balls faced.

The previous record was held by Australia’s Mitchell Owen, who completed 1,000 runs in 533 balls.

Sooryavanshi’s 100 was the third fastest in IPL history, after Chris Gayle’s 30-ball ton in 2013 and his own 35-ball hundred last year.

However, the effort was not enough as his team’s 228 was overhauled by Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Hyderabad skipper Cummins, Australia’s Test and ODI captain and a veteran of 219 internationals across three formats, heaped praise on the boy wonder.

“I think he’s my new favourite player,” Cummins, who has bowled to the best batters in the world and claimed 315 Test wickets, told reporters.

“He hits the ball so hard, it’s great to watch. It’s good fun. You’ve got to be right on the money as a bowler because if you’re not, it’s going a long way. He’s impressive.”

Cummins added: “He’s had a great start to his career. I love the way he plays. It takes the game on.”

Sooryavanshi has been in blazing form in the 2026 IPL with 357 runs, including two 15-ball fifties at a punishing strike rate of 234.86 in eight matches.

“It’s a no-brainer… he is the most destructive Indian T20 opener,” former England captain Michael Vaughan wrote on X.

The teenager has bossed world-class bowlers including Indian pace veteran Jasprit Bumrah (Mumbai Indians), smashing the superstar over the wide long-on fence for a six when he faced him for the first time earlier this month.

His dazzling performances have seen calls for him to be fast-tracked into the senior Indian national team.