The 24-year-old right-hander’s outstanding performance on Saturday helped his club win by a score of 112 runs.
Ayush broke the record for the most sixes by a batter in an innings, held jointly by Estonia’s Sahil Chauhan and West Indian great Chris Gayle. In T20 games, Chauhan and Gayle had each hit 18 sixes. Ayush also established a 286-run stand for the second wicket with opener Priyansh Arya.
“I was just looking to time the ball well, I never thought I would end up hitting 19 sixes in an innings. I just focus on timing the ball and not trying to hit the ball hard,” Badoni told PTI Videos.
In his brief cricket career, Badoni, who plays for the Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL, has had a respectable run at bat in the competition. Several teams would be keeping an eye on the batsman after his valiant performance in the current DPL.
“I am not thinking about the (IPL) mega auction yet; my focus is on winning the Delhi Premier League right now as a skipper,” he said.
“Playing in the IPL has made life a lot easier for me as a batter here (DPL). We face world-class bowlers there, and then coming here and playing becomes relatively easy.”
Assistant coach Jonty Rhodes of LSG likened Badoni to hard-hitting Herschelle Gibbs, a former Proteas player.
“Jonty and I have a great relationship. I want to thank him for his kind words and just want to say that ‘see you soon, Jonty’.”
Badoni has led South Delhi Superstarz from the front. He and Priyansh Arya have scored 1,091 runs between them in the DPL’s first season. Good partnerships relieve pressure on batters coming down the order, the captain acknowledged.
“I know that Priyansh and I have done well and our batting does help take the pressure off the team. But they come and tell me after the game that they too are eager to contribute with the bat. There are a few youngsters who have impressed and now it is our turn to groom them well,” he said.