India's young batting prodigy, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, will be in the limelight when Rajasthan Royals kick off their IPL 2026 campaign against five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on March 30 in Guwahati. The teenager from Bihar has already made headlines by breaking several records across formats, ever since he became the youngest player to earn an IPL contract at just 13, ahead of the 2025 season.
Ahead of the 19th edition of the cash-rich league, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has shared a word of caution. He believes this IPL will be an important learning phase for the youngster, as teams have now started studying his game closely and working out ways to challenge him.
Irfan Pathan's warning to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Speaking on JioStar’s IPL show, Pathan explained that Sooryavanshi has been playing a lot of cricket across formats, IPL, domestic matches, and even the Under-19 World Cup and has been scoring runs everywhere. Because of this, bowlers are now carefully watching his performances and identifying areas they can target.
“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," Pathan said.
“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 added.
Irfan Pathan's advice to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Pathan also said that the 14-year-old left-hander will need to keep improving his game and work on his weaknesses. At the same time, he pointed out that Sooryavanshi will be full of confidence after his recent performances and will be eager to prove himself again.
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“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," Pathan said.
“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.
The young Sooryavanshi has quickly become one of the most exciting young players in India. In the recent Under-19 World Cup, he was the second-highest run-scorer, making 439 runs in seven matches at an average of 62.71 and a strike rate close to 170. He scored one century and three fifties and hit a record 30 sixes, the most in the tournament.
In Under-19 ODIs, he is already India’s top run-scorer with 1,412 runs in just 25 innings. His rise began in October 2024 when he scored a 58-ball century against Australia U19. Rajasthan Royals signed him for ₹1.1 crore, making him the youngest IPL player, and he later became the youngest T20 centurion as well. Sooryavanshi had a brilliant IPL last year, amassing 252 runs in seven innings.