A brief conversation between Virat Kohli and teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi after the IPL 2026 final has captured the attention of cricket fans across social media.

Following Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s title-winning campaign, Kohli was seen sharing words of encouragement with the Rajasthan Royals youngster, who emerged as one of the biggest stars of the season. A video of the interaction was later shared by RCB and quickly went viral.

During the conversation, Kohli praised Sooryavanshi’s achievements and reminded him that his success was built on hard work and self-belief. The veteran batter also advised the youngster not to be distracted by public opinions or outside commentary.

One line from Kohli’s message particularly resonated with fans. Referring to the Bihar-born cricketer, he said, “Ek Bihari, sab pe bhaari,” while encouraging him to continue aiming higher in his career.

Sooryavanshi enjoyed a remarkable IPL 2026 season for Rajasthan Royals. The teenage opener finished as the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 776 runs and secured the Orange Cap. His aggressive batting approach and consistency made him one of the standout performers of the competition.

While Kohli celebrated another IPL title with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Sooryavanshi walked away with several individual accolades after a breakthrough season that established him as one of India’s most exciting young cricket talents.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru created history at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday night, successfully defending their Indian Premier League title with a commanding five-wicket victory over Gujarat Titans. Spearheaded by an unbeaten, masterclass knock from senior batter Virat Kohli, Bengaluru comfortably tracked down the target to secure their second consecutive league trophy, joining an elite company of teams to accomplish successive tournament victories.

Earlier in the evening, Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar won the toss and elected to field first. The decision bore immediate fruits as the bowling unit delivered a disciplined performance, stifling Gujarat from the outset. Gujarat skipper Shubman Gill was dismissed early for just 10 runs after giving a catch off Josh Hazlewood’s bowling. His opening partner Sai Sudharsan soon followed, falling to Bhuvneshwar Kumar for 12.

The Gujarat batting lineup struggled to build partnerships against a relentless attack. Jos Buttler managed 19 before being stumped off Krunal Pandya, while Nishant Sindhu contributed a brief 20. It was an unbeaten half-century from Washington Sundar, who capitalized on a dropped catch to smash 50* off 37 deliveries, that single-handedly dragged Gujarat to a competitive total of 155/8 in their allotted 20 overs. For Bengaluru, Rasikh Dar Salam was the pick of the bowlers with impressive figures of 3/27, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/29) and Josh Hazlewood (2/37) kept the pressure high at the other end.

Chasing 156 for glory, Bengaluru got off to a flying start courtesy of Venkatesh Iyer, who took the attack to the bowlers with a rapid 16-ball 32, containing four boundaries and two sixes. However, Gujarat fought back with quick breakthroughs. Kagiso Rabada dismissed Devdutt Padikkal for 1, and premier spinner Rashid Khan triggered a brief panic in the Bengaluru camp by picking up two wickets in four balls, removing skipper Rajat Patidar (15) and Krunal Pandya (1) to reduce the chasing side to 89/4.

Despite the wobble and battling through physical discomfort and cramps, Kohli anchored the innings with absolute authority. He accelerated at the right moments, bringing up the fastest half-century of his tournament career off just 25 deliveries. A late 24-run cameo from Tim David brought the defending champions closer before he fell to Arshad Khan.

Ultimately, Kohli wrapped up the chase in style with two overs to spare, remaining unbeaten on 75 off 42 balls, punctuated by nine boundaries and three sixes. Jitesh Sharma remained alongside him on 11* as Bengaluru finished at 161/5, sparking ecstatic celebrations in the dugout.

West Indies cricket icon Chris Gayle has showered immense praise on India and Rajasthan Royals’ 15-year-old batting sensation, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, following his breathtaking performance in the Indian Premier League eliminator. The teenager played a spectacular 29-ball 97 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, a knock that saw him surpass the legendary West Indian for the most sixes hit in a single IPL edition.

Taking to Instagram to celebrate the young left-hander’s achievements, Gayle declared Sooryavanshi as cricket’s “new six machine”. The legendary batsman also offered words of encouragement to the youngster, who narrowly missed out on breaking Gayle’s record for the fastest-ever IPL century. Gayle noted that while the 15-year-old was unfortunate to miss the milestone, he will “get there eventually”.

Dismantling long-standing T20 records

During his explosive innings, Sooryavanshi struck 5 fours and 12 sixes, operating at an astonishing strike rate of over 334. This masterclass propelled his tournament sixes tally to 65, eclipsing Gayle’s previous record of 59 sixes established during the 2012 IPL season. Consequently, Sooryavanshi now holds the record for the most sixes smashed by any batsman in a single T20 tournament.

The teenage opener has now equaled Gayle’s record for hitting 10 or more sixes in an IPL innings on four occasions. Strikingly, three of those instances have occurred in the current season, making him the first player in tournament history to achieve this feat three times in one year. His 12 maximums against Sunrisers Hyderabad also stand as the highest number of sixes smashed by an individual in an IPL knockout match, as well as the highest by any Indian batter in a single IPL innings.

Dominating the powerplay and rewriting history

The young prodigy has consistently taken apart world-class bowling attacks this season. During the playoff match, he cleared the boundary eight times during the powerplay, surpassing Sri Lankan great Sanath Jayasuriya’s record of seven powerplay sixes set back in 2008.

Sooryavanshi has accumulated 490 runs purely within the powerplay overs this season, overtaking Australian veteran David Warner’s 2016 tally of 467 runs. Furthermore, his blazing 16-ball half-century has tied him for the joint-fastest fifty scored in an IPL knockout match.

In his 15 tournament innings, the uncapped left-hander has amassed 680 runs at an average of 45.33 and a staggering strike rate of 242.85. He has crossed the 600-run milestone as the youngest player to do so in tournament history, breaking the previous record for an uncapped player held by his opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal. According to advanced cricketing data, Sooryavanshi has accumulated 88.9 percent of his total runs this season solely through boundaries, outperforming previous high-impact campaigns like Andre Russell’s 2019 season. He also stands as the first player in T20 cricket history to cross 600 runs in a single tournament while maintaining a strike rate above 200.

Playoff race intensifies

Supported by a rapid 21-ball 50 from Dhruv Jurel, Sooryavanshi’s spectacular knock powered Rajasthan Royals to a massive total of 243 for 8. In response, Sunrisers Hyderabad struggled early on, losing four wickets during the powerplay despite a quickfire 33 from Ishan Kishan.

An impressive bowling display led by Archer and Burger restricted Sunrisers Hyderabad to 196 runs, sealing their exit from the competition. Rajasthan Royals will now progress to meet Gujarat Titans in the second qualifier, with the winners earning a spot in the final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.