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.

Fifteen-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has etched his name into cricket history by breaking Chris Gayle’s long-standing record for the maximum number of sixes hit in a single edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Playing for Rajasthan Royals against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the high-stakes IPL 2026 Eliminator at New Chandigarh, the young opener cleared the ropes multiple times to surpass the Jamaican legend’s 14-year-old milestone.

Before this fixture, Gayle held the all-time record with 59 sixes during the 2012 IPL season. Sooryavanshi shattered that tally during his explosive innings, taking his total count past the milestone. Acknowledging the feat, the giant screen at the stadium proudly labeled the teenager as the “Universe Baby Boss,” playing on Gayle’s famous moniker, the “Universe Boss”.

Blistering knock rewrites playoff record books

The young left-hander launched a relentless assault on the opposition bowling unit, bringing up his half-century in just 16 deliveries. This blistering effort equaled Suresh Raina’s 2014 feat for the joint-fastest half-century scored in the history of IPL knockouts or playoffs.

Sooryavanshi was eventually dismissed for a phenomenal 97 runs off just 29 balls, a knock laced with 5 boundaries and 12 massive sixes. His explosive performance came agonizingly close to breaking another iconic T20 record held by Gayle—the fastest-ever IPL century, which was scored off 30 deliveries against Pune Warriors India back in 2013. The youngster fell just three runs short of a historic hundred.

Rising star targets national call-up

During his initial powerplay blitz, the opener set a new benchmark by smashing 8 sixes in the opening six overs, overtaking previous records held by legendary hitters like Sanath Jayasuriya and Jos Buttler, who had both managed 7 sixes in the powerplay phase of an IPL innings.

With nearly 600 runs accumulated over the course of the ongoing season, the clamour to fast-track the prodigy into the senior national men’s setup has intensified significantly among fans and pundits alike. Media reports indicate that the teenager is already lined up to feature for the India-A team in an upcoming tri-series scheduled in Sri Lanka next month.

Commenting on the meteoric rise of the young batsman, IPL Chairman Arun Dhumal labeled him a “special talent,” emphasizing that continuous mentorship from the board and his franchise would ensure his upward trajectory remains secure.

The West Bengal government has officially notified the rollout of the ‘Annapurna Yojana,’ a welfare initiative aimed at providing assured monthly financial assistance of Rs 3,000 to women across the state. Introduced by the Department of Women and Child Development and Social Welfare, the scheme is structured to foster the socio-economic upliftment of women and will officially come into effect on June 1, 2026.

Under this new initiative, financial benefits will be transferred directly into the Aadhaar-linked bank accounts of qualified beneficiaries using the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system.

Strict eligibility criteria outlined

According to the official government notification, specific guidelines have been established to determine eligibility for the monthly cash assistance:

• Target Age Group: Eligible women must be between 25 and 60 years of age.
• Employment Status: Applicants must not hold permanent government employment or receive a regular salary or pension from the central government, state government, statutory bodies, panchayats, municipalities, local bodies, or government-aided educational institutions.
• Tax Criteria: Women who are income tax payers are excluded from the scheme.

Automatic migration and scrutiny rules

The new order clarifies that all current beneficiaries of the erstwhile Lakshmir Bhandar Scheme will be automatically migrated to the Annapurna Yojana. However, the transition involves a rigorous filtering process. Individuals identified as deceased, shifted, deleted, or recorded as absentee electors during the SIR-2026 exercise or voter slip distribution will be systematically excluded from the beneficiary list.

On the other hand, individuals who have filed appeals before the SIR Tribunal or submitted applications under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act will continue to receive financial assistance until their applications are legally resolved by authorities.

Application process for new beneficiaries

For fresh applicants, a dedicated online portal for the Annapurna Yojana will be launched on June 1, 2026. To ensure transparency, all new applications will undergo a strict multi-tier verification process by designated local administrative officials:

• Rural Areas: Block Development Officers (BDOs) will manage the verification and inquiries.
• Urban Areas: Sub-Divisional Officers (SDOs) will oversee the process.
• Kolkata: Officials of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will handle applications within their jurisdiction.

Following field inquiries, verified reports will be uploaded directly to the digital portal. The respective District Magistrates and the KMC Commissioner will serve as the final sanctioning authorities in their corresponding jurisdictions to approve the disbursement of funds.