NEW KID ON THE BRAND WAGON

At 14, IPL's youngest player, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, is well on the endorsement path — provided he doesn't lose sight of his game

- ROSHNI SHEKHAR & SHARLEEN D'SOUZA

Vaibhav Suryavanshi turned heads when he was snapped up by the Rajasthan Royals for ₹1.1 crore in the Indian Premier League (IPL) auctions — at just 14 years of age. Then he went on to set the stage alight, smashing a 100 off just 35 balls against Gujarat Titans, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

Blazing 11 sixes and seven boundaries, Suryavanshi now holds the record for the fastest century in T20 history — a feat that has not only electrified fans but also piqued the interest of brands eager to sign him for endorsements.

Promising as his entry into the cricketing spotlight is, there are voices of concern, too, focused largely on how he would take this fame and what he would make of it in the years to come.

Brand experts say that while the young prodigy has already created history, there's a concern that the sudden fame could overwhelm him. However, if he remains grounded, they believe, he could be a rare talent worth investing in.

A source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, reveals that before his explosive century, Suryavanshi's endorsement fee was around ₹75 lakh. It's a claim that could not be independently verified. The source adds that this figure could rise noticeably depending on his performance across the tournament.