Ravichandran Ashwin saw it coming. But he would not have realised that his early bet would take him to the cleaners. Ashwin, known for keeping a tab on young talents in different regional leagues and domestic cricket, was mighty impressed with Priyansh Arya. He watched him smash a century in the Delhi Premier League. On Tuesday, the same youngster turned into his tormentor. Arya smashed him for 28 runs, including 21 runs in an over in the PBKS vs CSK clash in IPL 2025.
Priyansh Arya smashed his maiden century in IPL, becoming the eighth uncapped player to hit a triple-digit score in the mega tournament. But it was his sheer audacity to pull that off that surprised many, including the commentators. Not many left-handed batters take on Ashwin, but Arya unleashed against the veteran off-spinner. He did not spare Ravindra Jadeja either. Arya hit 103 off 42 balls before perishing to Noord Ahmad.
We agree with you, Ash Anna
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) April 8, 2025#PriyanshArya pic.twitter.com/WZTP9SFymV
Ashwin’s early prediction
Ashwin saw that coming. On his YouTube channel, Kutty Story, Ashwin was excited by the young talent. He shared:
“My No 1 player is one that someone should take for sure. He played very well with the bat in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. I am talking about Priyansh Arya. The Delhi opener was a left-handed batsman. Did you see his batting?“
Now, everyone has seen his batting. His 103-run knock, his career-best, had seven 4s and nine 6s as he scored at a 245.24 strike rate. His 42-ball stay had just eight dot balls. He was equally destructive on both sides of the ground to showing his range of shots at a young age.
“I’m not expressive but I am getting a very good feeling from within. In the last game, Shreyas Iyer talked about backing your instincts, he suggested me to play the way I want to. I was thinking that if I get the first ball in my slot, I will definitely hit it for a six. I want to express myself as much as I can and not restrict myself,” Priyansh Arya said at the mid-innings break. On his IPL debut, Arya hammered 23-ball 47.
I.C.Y.M.I
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 8, 2025
𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿. 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻
. 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲
.
Priyansh Arya graced the home crowd with his effortless fireworks
Updateshttps://t.co/HzhV1Vtl1S #TATAIPL | #PBKSvCSK pic.twitter.com/7JBcdhok58
Rise through the ranks
Priyansh Arya, son of school teachers from Delhi, first made headlines in the inaugural Delhi Premier League (DPL) T20 in 2024, where he became the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 608 runs in 10 innings at an average of 67.56 and a strike rate of 198.69.
His standout moment came on August 31, 2024, when he smashed six sixes in an over off left-arm spinner Manan Bharadwaj while playing for South Delhi Superstarz against North Delhi Strikers. He scored 120 off 50 balls. This feat, paired with a 286-run partnership with Ayush Badoni (165 off 55), helped his team post 308/5 in 20 overs.
While Arya made his Delhi debut back in 2021 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy against Uttarakhand, it was last season where he finally made his name. He notched a 43-ball 102 against Uttar Pradesh, taking on quality bowlers like Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Piyush Chawla. Now that he is in IPL, his career graph is only expected to go up.
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