Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (ICC Photo)

NEW DELHI: Strike rate 331.58. Seven fours. Five sixes. That is not just a stat line — it is a statement. And it had the unmistakable stamp of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi all over it. The young India star once again lived up to his reputation of taking bowlers apart from the very first ball, hammering a breathtaking 19-ball 63 for DY Patil Blue against Indian Navy in the ongoing DY Patil T20 Cup. With IPL 2026 just over a month away, the timing of this assault could not have been more ominous.

Chasing 220, Vaibhav wasted no time settling in. Sixteen runs came off the first four deliveries he faced. By the end of just 12 balls, he was already on 43 — bowlers scrambling, fielders scattered, and the tempo of the game firmly hijacked.His half-century arrived in the fifth over — a six followed by a four — in just 14 deliveries. He added another towering maximum before walking back for 63 off 19 balls, striking at a staggering 331.58.For those who have followed his rise, this is hardly surprising.Vaibhav first shook the IPL in 2025 when he blasted a 35-ball hundred against Gujarat Titans, becoming the youngest centurion in the league’s history and the fastest Indian to a century in the tournament. That innings announced the arrival of a new-age aggressor — fearless, unapologetic, and relentlessly attacking.His dominance continued in the Under-19 circuit. In 25 Youth ODIs, he piled up 1,412 runs at an average of 56.48 and a remarkable strike rate of 165.72. Four centuries and seven fifties followed, including a stunning 175 off just 80 balls in the U19 World Cup final — an innings that sealed India’s triumph.Even off the field, Vaibhav has done things differently. He made headlines for skipping his Class X board exams to prioritise cricket — a decision that now seems vindicated by the numbers.In 18 T20s so far, he has amassed 701 runs at a strike rate of 204.37, crossing 150 in 12 innings — a testament to his consistency in high-tempo cricket.At the DY Patil T20 Cup, he simply carried that momentum forward.While Kuwar Pathak’s 87 and Nitin Tanwar’s unbeaten 57 powered Indian Navy to 220, the spotlight inevitably swung back to Vaibhav. Yash Dhull (12 off 8), Sarfaraz Khan (27 off 19), Shashank Singh (20 off 12), Anand Bais (35* off 24) and Arjun Tendulkar (55* off 29) all chipped in — but it was Vaibhav’s blitz that set the tone.And if this was meant to be a warm-up ahead of IPL 2026, bowlers across franchises would be watching closely.