Irfan Pathan: IPL 2026 a Learning Season for Teen Sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi

Rajasthan Royals (RR) will start their IPL campaign against the five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) from March 30 onwards at Guwahati. A crucial part in RR's title bid will be played by ICC Under 19 World Cup winner Suryavanshi, who has registered several records to his name across all formats of the game ever since he became the youngest player with an IPL deal at 13 years of age, ahead of the 2025 season.

Speaking on JioHotstar's 'TATA IPL: Out or Out of the Park', JioStar expert Pathan spoke on how after playing all formats of the game and scoring runs, Suryavanshi will face a challenge that everyone has taken note of his success, strengths and are also analysing his weaknesses.

"This season of the IPL for Vaibhav Suryavanshi will be a learning one. He has played in the tournament last year, he has played domestic cricket, and he is playing cricket in all formats everywhere. He played in the Under-19 World Cup, he has taken part in the Ranji Trophy with Bihar, and he has scored runs everywhere. In white-ball cricket and red-ball cricket, everyone is taking note of him. Bowlers are doing the same. Since he has played so much cricket since his IPL debut last year, other players are watching his videos and analysing his weaknesses," he said.

Irfan said that the 14-year-old left-hander needs to find ways to upgrade his game and work on his weaknesses, and added that after having such a dominant run across formats in recent times, Suryavanshi will be high on confidence and looking to prove a point.

"He has slammed centuries with ease in all forms of cricket. When you do that consistently, not just in IPL but in domestic cricket, Under-19 cricket and emerging matches, your confidence keeps going higher. This IPL season, all bowlers will be ready with their strategies and Vaibhav will be looking to prove a point. He can do that by slamming another hundred in the IPL. When he scores runs consistently this season, that is when we can say Vaibhav Suryavanshi has upgraded his game," he concluded.

In the U19 WC this year, Suryanvanshi ended up as the second-highest run-getter with 439 runs in seven matches at an average of 62.71 and a strike rate of 169.49, with a century and three fifties and a best score of 175. He smacked a record-breaking 30 sixes in the competition, surpassing South Africa's Dewald Brevis' 18 sixes in the 2022 edition by miles. In fact, he holds the record for the most sixes in U19 WC history.

He is also India's leading run-getter in U19 ODIs, with 1,412 runs in 25 innings at 56.48, a strike rate over 165, four centuries, seven fifties, and a best score of 175.

Since October 2024, it has been onwards and upwards for this southpaw, as he first made it to the headlines with a 58-ball century for India U19 against Australia U19 in Chennai, the fastest by an India U19 batter in Youth Tests.

During the IPL mega auction ahead of the 2025 season, he secured a deal worth Rs 1.1 crore with Rajasthan Royals, making him the youngest IPL player ever. In the IPL clash against the Gujarat Titans, at the age of 14, Suryavanshi became the youngest T20 centurion and the first Indian to hit the fastest IPL fifty.

Starting his IPL journey with a first-ball six, he became one of the young, emerging stars of the season, with 252 runs in seven innings at an average of 36.00 and a strike rate of 206.55, with a century and fifty.

After that, it has been records for Suryavanshi wherever he goes. Whether it is his 52-ball century against England in July last year, making him the youngest and fastest U19 centurion of all time, his 61-ball 108 against Maharashtra in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) season last year which made him the youngest centurion in the tournament history or his 84-ball 190 against Arunachal Pradesh in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT), making him the youngest List A centurion and second-fastest List A centurion amongst Indians last year, Suryavanshi has taken every format by storm one by one.

- ANI