IPL 2026: Former India players send Huge Warning to Vaibhav Suryavanshi ahead of New Season

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The Indian Premier League (IPL) represents one of the biggest money-spinning ventures in global sports, with its massive media rights deals, sponsorships, and franchise values pushing the league's overall worth into billions of dollars.

This huge financial ecosystem creates life-changing opportunities for talented youngsters, turning raw potential into lucrative careers far earlier than in traditional formats.

A striking example is Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the 13-year-old prodigy from Bihar who became the youngest player ever to secure an IPL deal. In the 2025 mega auction, Rajasthan Royals signed him for INR 1.10 crore after a bidding war with Delhi Capitals. Already an India U-19 star with a World Cup win, the Bihar-born talent can reach lofty heights.

But two former Indian players have conveyed key advice to the youngster and more so to the people around him, which may be crucial for his formative years. As money and fame can have a detrimental effect, former India players Irfan Pathan and Aakash Chopra gave their thoughts on managing the youngster ahead of the IPL 2026 season.

"It is very important for Vaibhav Suryavanshi to not let success or failure get to his head. It's quite a sensitive age because he is just about 15 years old. At this stage, he potentially has a 20-year professional career ahead of him. In today's time, where longevity is not always a priority and careers can be short, you can still achieve a lot in 6 to 8 years. But Vaibhav could have a much longer journey. Naturally, it is important that someone consistently stays with him as a guide, a good mentor who can support him over time, the role Rahul Dravid played last year," Pathan said on Jio Hotstar's 'IPL Today Live'.

Aakash Chopra also mentioned the importance of handling Vaibhav amid the constant media craze of IPL and keep distractions away from the youngster.

"What is truly unique about the IPL is something you don't experience when playing for your state, or even for India, because there you are surrounded by established superstars you can learn from, whereas here everything feels larger than life. For instance, at a franchise like Rajasthan Royals, he might already be the central figure in ad campaigns and shoots, and that can make him feel, 'I am important.' It is not temptation, it is simply something you are constantly exposed to, fans, autographs, photos, selfies, and being at the centre of everything," Chopra said.

"The challenge is that players are never really trained to deal with all this. They are trained to play cricket, how to face the ball and handle pressure on the field, but not how to manage these distractions. During the IPL's eight to nine-week window, this becomes constant and can be overwhelming, so it needs to be handled very carefully," he added.