India powerplay record: how Abhishek Sharma and a 15-year-old rewrote T20 cricket

118 runs in six overs

India set a new India powerplay record in Wellington on 27 October, and it was also a world record. Chasing 199 against New Zealand in the third T20I, Abhishek Sharma and 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored 118 without loss in the first six overs, the highest powerplay total in men's T20I history. India won with 40 balls to spare and took an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-match series (The National).

New Zealand had made 198 for 3, with Daryl Mitchell unbeaten on 89. On most nights, that is a winning score. India's openers needed one over to change the game. They took 26 off it, the most by a Full Member team in the first over of a men's T20I, then reached 50 in 2.2 overs and 100 in 4.5, both India's fastest ever (Gulf News).

Sooryavanshi made 45 off 19 balls before he was caught at long-on. Abhishek kept going. He reached his century in 35 balls and finished with 113 off 38, with nine fours and 11 sixes. India got home in 13.2 overs.

The record book

Highest powerplay, men's T20Is: 118/0. The previous best was Romania's 116 against Serbia in 2021. Among Full Member teams, it was Australia's 113 for 1 against Scotland in 2024.

Fastest India team 50 and 100. 2.2 overs and 4.5 overs, beating 2.5 against West Indies and 5.6 against Afghanistan.

Most T20 centuries by an Indian man: 11. Abhishek moved one clear of Virat Kohli.

Most T20I sixes in a calendar year by a Full Member player: 85. Abhishek passed Rohit Sharma's 80 from 2023.

Fastest 190-plus chase by a Full Member team. India won with 40 balls to spare.

The 15-year-old

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is from Tajpur in Bihar's Samastipur district, and his rise has been unusually fast.

• November 2024, aged 13: Rajasthan Royals bought him at the IPL auction for ₹1.1 crore.

• April 2025, aged 14: he became the youngest player in IPL history, then its youngest centurion, with a 35-ball hundred against Gujarat Titans. Only Chris Gayle has reached an IPL century faster.

• July 2026, aged 15: he made his T20I debut for India against England.

• October 2026, aged 15: he opened for India in a world-record powerplay.

The second scoreboard: a new star arrives

On the field, India won a match. Off it, cricket may have watched a new star arrive.

• The bargain of the decade. Rajasthan Royals paid ₹1.1 crore for a 13-year-old. Two years on, he is opening for India. Whatever his next IPL contract looks like, that auction call already looks like one of the smartest buys in the league's history.

• A new face for a new generation. Cricket's biggest commercial stars have been in their thirties for years. A 15-year-old opener who plays like this gives broadcasters, brands and the IPL a face that speaks to fans his own age.

• The highlight economy. A 35-ball century and a 118-run powerplay are built for short video. Moments like these now travel further on phones than on television, and that is where teams and leagues win new fans.

• The pressure that comes with it. Records bring attention, and attention brings expectation. How India manage a teenager's workload, profile and commercial demands may matter as much as how he bats.

Backing young talent early is becoming a winning strategy across sport. Formula 1 saw the same thing this month with Mercedes' teenage bet on Kimi Antonelli, who is now one race from the world title.

What comes next

India lead the series 3-0, with two T20Is left in New Zealand. The bigger test will come later: turning one record night into a long career for a teenager, and a lasting partnership at the top of India's order.

The takeaway

India's openers did not just win a chase in Wellington. They showed what the next era of Indian cricket could look like: fearless, fast and very young. Rajasthan Royals spotted it at 13. Everyone else is catching up now.

At The Sports Columnist, we cover the money, deals and decisions behind sport. Every game has a second scoreboard, and on this one, a 15-year-old has just put up his first big number.

All match figures are from the third T20I between New Zealand and India in Wellington on 27 October 2026.

Should India fast-track teenagers like Sooryavanshi, or protect them from too much too soon?