“It’s possible that teams may plan against him”: Pathan highlights challenges for Suryavanshi ahead of 2026 IPL

Mumbai,mar 20
Ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season, former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan said that it would be important for the 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi not to let success and failure get into his head and highlighted how handling the pressure is extremely important for youngsters in the cash-rich league.After a breakout 2025 season, which saw him score the fastest century by an Indian in the IPL and become the youngest T20 centurion, Bihar’s six-hitting run-machine Suryavanshi will be eyeing another blockbuster season with Rajasthan Royals after U19 World Cup glory earlier this year. Suryanvanshi hit a stroke-filled 175 in the final against England and won the U19 title, ‘Player of the Match’, and the ‘Player of the Tournament’ in the final.Since the first-ball six on his IPL debut to his heroics in the U19 World Cup final, it has been a journey filled with sixes, records and unprecedented accomplishments for the 14-year-old batting prodigy.Speaking on JioStar’s ‘IPL Today Live’, JioStar expert Pathan said that handling pressure is key for youngsters in the IPL as “they can be a hero one day and fade away the next”.”We have seen so many players who earn huge money at an auction, but then do not perform the following season and do not even get picked again. I would want to see how a player like Prashant Veer (a UP all-rounder picked by Chennai Super Kings), who has been paid in upwards of Rs 14 crore, performs under pressure when given an opportunity. Especially in the last four overs, whether he is batting or bowling, when a breakthrough is needed, and he is being attacked from both ends, how does he respond in that moment?” he added.Pathan said that if he were a part of a team’s management, he would observe how a player responds to failure in a few of his matches.”How does he regroup, rebuild, and step back onto the field with confidence? Because if I have invested such a big amount in a player at the auction, I obviously trust his ability, but along with that, attitude matters a lot too,” he added.
Shifting his focus to a young Suryavanshi, who will turn 15 in a week from now, the former higlighted that the left-hander has a 20-year career ahead of him potentially, and he would need two things to make sure he lasts longer: A good mentor and consistent improvements to his game.”It is possible that this season, teams may plan against him, like bowling consistently outside the off stump and keeping the ball away from his reach. Also, he might face the same challenges that Abhishek Sharma did (in the T20 World Cup this year), different types of bowling and constant variations in pace, so how he adapts and finds ways to score in those situations will be key,” he concluded.