“Let's wait until IPL 2026”

Sky is the limit for Vaibhav Suryavanshi. He started his Indian Premier League (IPL) career with a six to Shardul Thakur. A bowler with Test wickets in Australia, England and South Africa. Someone who’s played 2 World Cups. That was extraordinary in itself. To do that at 14 seems out of this world.

Sanju Samson’s Team India prediction for Vaibhav Suryavanshi

After that start, Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson stated that Suryavanshi could make his India cricket team debut in a couple of years. Many scoffed. It was biased, many said, since Samson was Suryavanshi’s teammate. In less than 4 days, Suryavanshi scored the second-fastest IPL century and became the youngest to hit a T20 hundred.

That Team India debut shout-out from Samson seemed pretty good. Then and now. But Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar wants everyone to hold their horses. He feels that everyone should wait for Suryavanshi to play longer. One mustn’t forget that the 14-year-old has played just 4 of RR’s 11 matches in IPL 2025.

“I think we must be patient. In any sport, when you’re a newcomer, people don’t know much about you. The second-season syndrome is the one that you’ve got to look for. The second season, when you’re a little bit more recognised, you see all the big hitters who did so well last season,” Gavaskar told India Today.

Let’s wait till IPL 2026, says Gavaskar

We have seen players finding it difficult to replicate their performance next year after an incredible season last year. Bowlers still don’t know where to bowl to Suryavanshi. We are yet to see how he reacts to failure. So Gavaskar rightly says, wait and watch. He’ll also play a full domestic season before the IPL 2026, and that will tell us where his progress is at.

“This time around, bowlers and the support staff have decided what to do or what to bowl, where not to bowl. This is the reason why some of the successes of last season have not been as successful this time around. The second season is really what we should be looking at. And of course, he’s got a whole season of maybe red-ball cricket also before the next IPL. And so let’s wait till the next IPL,” said Gavaskar.