Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 20 (ANI): 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. He will need to counter that, even if it comes with the risk of getting out. 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.

In the U19 WC, 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 recorded following Suryavanshi wherever he goes. Whether it is his 52-ball century against 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)