Sports : TATA IPL 2025 showcased the prodigious talent of Vaibhav Suryavanshi to the world and the 14-year-old returns in his second season for Rajasthan Royals, now as a first-choice opener. Speaking on JioStar’s ‘IPL Today Live’, JioStar experts Irfan Pathan and Aakash Chopra shared their thoughts on how big salary brackets can impact a player’s mindset, and how Suryavanshi can avoid second-season blues while handling the pressure of expectations.
Speaking on JioStar’s ‘IPL Today Live’, JioStar expert Irfan Pathan highlighted how the big paycheque can impact a youngster’s mindset:
“The biggest thing is how you handle pressure. The IPL is a tournament where you can be a hero one day, and fade away the next. We’ve seen so many players who earn huge money at an auction, but then don’t perform the following season and don’t even get picked again. I would want to see how a player like Prashant Veer, who has been paid in upwards of ₹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? If I were part of the management, I would also observe what happens after a player fails under pressure in a few matches. How does he regroup, rebuild, and step back onto the field with confidence? Because if I’ve 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.”
On Vaibhav Suryavanshi and the art of not letting success or failure get to your head:
“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. At the same time, he must keep improving his game constantly. 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, different types of bowling and constant variations in pace, so how he adapts and finds ways to score in those situations will be key.”
Speaking on JioStar’s ‘IPL Today Live’, JioStar expert Aakash Chopra touched upon Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s mindset and the drawbacks of his fearless approach:
“If the first one is there to be hit, I will go for it’ is a very good philosophy. But if it happens three times that you go for the first ball and, God forbid, you don’t connect properly and get out, that is when problems start. The IPL is a different beast. They may not say it in as many words, but it reminds me of my playing days in England, where if you have one or two off days back-to-back, someone would come up and say, ‘Bro, time to earn your money,’ because you are being paid to score runs. That thought lingers on your mind, that you are getting paid to perform, and the IPL has a similar dynamic. He got some exposure last year, when Rahul Dravid was there as well, and you could see tears in his eyes after getting out in one of the games. This time, there are expectations, and he will carry that burden. Even we are talking about him, saying that Vaibhav Suryavanshi will come and score runs, so in that regard, it is a huge season for him.”
On handling the quick fame and popularity that comes with TATA IPL:
“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. 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.”
