IPL: Five awards, rising brand value – it’s all happening for Vaibhav

It was an unique evening at the presentation party of IPL finale in Ahmedabad on Sunday where Virat Kohli, an undisputed legend of the game, had to vie for attention with a precocious 15-year-old. Yes, one is talking about Vaibhav Sooryavanshi – who swept all but two of the individual awards despite his team Rajasthan Royals exiting in the Eliminator.

Never before in it’s 18-year-old history has a single player picked up so many awards at stake: Orange Cap as topscorer (776 runs); Most Valuable Player; Emerging Player of the Year; Super Striker of the Year (237.30) and Super Sixes of the Year (72). The only two individual prizes which didn’t go his way were the Purple Cap for the highest wicket taker and the best catch – underlining the kind of impact he had created in his very second IPL season.

The debut season for Vaibhav in 2025, where he arrived with a stunning century, underlined his potential in no uncertain terms – but there were still a few doubters. Some questioned whether the boy from Samastipur in Bihar was really a 14-year-old while few others fancied him as a boom-or-bust performer who would still need to prove himself in trying conditions and big matches. After a profitable year in between, largely in Under-19 arena, Vaibhav came back matured and equipped to play according to the needs of the situation.

While Vaibhav scored 776 seasons this season with the highest strike rate (237.30), there were occasions when he tailored his game – like the 96 he scored to anchor the Royals to a 200-plus total against Titans in Qualifier 2. Such flexibility vindicates the national selector’s decision to induct him in the India A squad for a tri-series in Sri Lanka this month, while someone like Sachin Tendulkar does not want a prodigious talent like Vaibhav to be restricted to white ball cricket only.

 ‘’I would tell him to be just himself,’’ Tendulkar said at a reception where he was honoured by Cricinfo as the best batter of 21^st century. ‘’There is always a first time. In Test cricket, along with age, he will learn how to do deal with various challenges. It’s about having a solution-oriented mindset,’’ he said, hinting that Vaibhav’s time will come and there is no need for him to be rushed into the senior team.

  The Royals management had, in his first two seasons of IPL, created a protective ring about him – as Vaibhav is usually not sent in press conferences and is not exposed on social media. Hwoever, the job will get difficult for them in the third year of the cycle with the commercial ecosystem of the sport set to pounce on him and reports of ‘blank cheques’ being offered to his family for endorsements.

 Looking at the youngster’s power-hitting display throughout the season, TV pundit Ravi Shastri asked on live television: “Aap kitna doodh pite ho roz?” (How much milk do you drink every day?). Vaibhav, still holding multiple trophies and visibly overwhelmed by the scale of the moment, paused briefly before responding with a nervous smile: “Main ab doodh nahi pita” (I don’t drink milk anymore).

The clip went viral and online chatter was further amplified by Vaibhav’s existing commercial association with Zydus Wellness’ Complan, a nutrition drink brand that had recently signed him as a youth ambassador. As part of the campaign narrative, he had been featured in promotional content highlighting his journey from grassroots cricket to the IPL stage, aligning his image with the brand’s long-established positioning in the youth nutrition segment.

His current bat sponsorship deal is believed to be worth around Rs 50 lakh per year but that contract is now nearing its end. There are now reports gloating about that his existing sponsor is open to releasing him early and that the figures being offered to him could go far beyond what Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill currently earn from their respective deals with MRF.

 This is just the beginning and the emergence of Brand Vaibhav should be music to the ears of IPL authorities as they look to re-invent the wheel in the years to come. Sky is the limit for the young man!