Watch- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Goes The MS Dhoni Way; Lands A Helicopter Vs Arshdeep

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and MS Dhoni [Source: screengrab and AFP]

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi got Rajasthan Royals off to a flying start against the Punjab Kings franchise in match number 40 of the IPL 2026 season. The teenage batting sensation blasted 43 runs off just 16 balls with three boundaries and five huge sixes at the Mullanpur Stadium in New Chandigarh.

Notably, one of those towering sixes would make even CSK icon MS Dhoni proud, considering the youngster unleashed the former Indian captain’s trademark helicopter shot, doing so against India’s two-time T20 World Cup winning fast bowler Arshdeep Singh.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi executes a perfect ‘helicopter’ vs Punjab Kings

Chasing 223 for a win, Rajasthan Royals raced to 44-0 at the end of the first two overs itself, with young Vaibhav Sooryavanshi whacking 37* of those runs from just 14 balls.

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In the fourth over of the run chase, the youngster whacked Punjab Kings fast bowler Arshdeep Singh way over wide long on. With Arshdeep missing his yorker, Sooryavanshi pulled out the famous ‘helicopter’ shot, the same shot which was originally popularized by former CSK captain MS Dhoni.

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We’ve seen this shot before 🚁 😉 Vaibhav Sooryavanshi gives Rajasthan Royals the perfect start in this chase. 💪 #TATAIPL 2026 ➡️ #PBKSvRR | LIVE NOW 👉

Apr 28, 2026, 9:55 PM

The audacious stroke was reminiscent of MS Dhoni at his vintage best and would certainly have caught the attention of the former India skipper.

MS Dhoni’s history with ‘helicopter’ shot

While initially introduced by the great Sachin Tendulkar back in 2002, MS Dhoni popularized the ‘helicopter’ shot with remarkable consistency, turning it into one of the most iconic strokes of modern-day cricket.

The shot is particularly unique for its wrist-heavy whip-like follow-through, often allowing hitters to convert yorkers or low full tosses into boundaries.

Over the years, many T20 stars have attempted the shot, with Rajasthan Royals opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi becoming the latest to execute it to near perfection on the grand IPL stage.

Punjab Kings vs Rajasthan Royals: As it happened

Punjab Kings batted first and mounted 222-4 from 20 overs. Opening batter Prabhsimran Singh compiled 59 runs from 44 balls, while captain Shreyas Iyer struggled to get going in his 27-ball 30.

Priyansh Arya, however, started off the game with a cracking 11-ball 29 against Royals’ international pacemen Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger.

Cooper Connolly also minted a fiery 14-ball 30, and fellow Australian power-hitter Marcus Stoinis bludgeoned 62* runs off 22 balls to provide the slog overs impetus for the Punjab Kings. Stoinis blasted four fours and six huge sixes in his innings, and extracted 24 runs off the final over bowled by Brijesh Sharma.

In response, openers Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (43 off 16) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (51 off 27) laid out the foundation of an emphatic Rajasthan Royals win. Donovan Ferreira and Shubham Dubey also shared a match-winning partnership for the Royals to consign hosts Punjab Kings to their first defeat of the IPL 2026 season.

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