The Indian Premier League (IPL) may be a source of enthralling entertainment for fans. Day in and day out, they get to witness fierce battles, featuring the top cream of T20 superstars. But for some youngsters, it is a season full of hope. A hope to be in the reckoning for a national spot. With the next major ICC event being a T20 World Cup in 2026, that too, in India, players look at IPL 2025 as a stepping stone to assert their dominance and break the damn door for selection.
With the T20 World Cup on the horizon, India’s squad is largely set, but IPL performances could still influence the final selection. The team has a busy schedule ahead, with up to 23 T20Is lined up, and coach Gautam Gambhir wants to settle on a core group of players soon. The IPL will be a crucial audition for players. Ever since Gambhir has taken charge, India’s T20I setup has followed ultra aggressive brand of play. Suryakumar Yadav, India’s T20I skipper, would also have his eyes set on players who show extra sauce at IPL 2025.
Players who seek redemption through IPL 2025
Batters
Keepers
All-rounders
Spinners
Pacers
Shubman Gill-Ruturaj Gaikwad deserve opening spots?
What Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma have done as openers is truly remarkable. Both have operated at a strike rate over 182 in a span of over 13 matches, which is truly extraordinary. While Samson’s England T20I series was forgettable, Abhishek made a name for himself as he hammered a 37-ball ton. Don’t forget Yashasvi Jaiswal is in the mix as well. These three are set to be at the front as far as the opening slots are concerned.
But what about Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad? The two right-handers aren’t known for blazing starts but are more dependable for mixing caution with aggression. Gill being the vice-captain in ODIs has his worth across the other two formats. Gaikwad, meanwhile, is the CSK captain and a season full of runs will make a strong case for him. Having said that, both Gill and Gaikwad need to score bucket full of runs that too at massive strike rates in order to come close to the likes of Abhishek and Jaiswal.
What about Shreyas Iyer and Rinku Singh?
Now comes two middle-order batters. While Rinku has been part of the current T20I group, Shreyas Iyer lost his place. In fact, he last played a T20I back in December 2023. In ODIs, Iyer’s place is untouchable. But in T20Is, he isn’t near as of now. Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma’s brilliance have sealed the No. 3 and No. 4 spots. Iyer clarified that he’s looking to dominate at one down this IPL 2025 season, perhaps giving him a straight competition to Tilak!
Meanwhile, Rinku had a dream start to his T20I career. The weightage of his performances was so much that people were left disheartened when Rohit Sharma chose Shivam Dube over him for the T20 World Cup 2024. In his first year, Rinku averaged 65.50 and struck at an SR of 180.68. But recently, his performances dwindled down, with him making just 128 runs at 21.33 and an SR of 129.29. Being a specialist finisher, Rinku has his plan set out for IPL 2025!
Keeper tussle: Pant vs Samson vs Kishan vs Jitesh
India are spoilt for choices when it comes to wicket-keepers. Rishabh Pant was slotted in for a brief period once MS Dhoni hung up his boots. Now, Sanju Samson has made a spot his own. However, a series of 51 runs at 10.20 has opened the door for others. If Gambhir chooses to pair Abhishek with Jaiswal, it opens a spot for a keeper in the middle order.
Rishabh Pant, who is yet to take the white-ball game on, has been secondary to KL Rahul in ODIs. To be in the reckoning for T20Is, he needs a successful season with his new franchise LSG. A decent season, coupled with a playoff spot for LSG will strengthen his case massively. Also, with Pant being a lefty, would be appreciated by Gambhir. Another southpaw in contention could be Ishan Kishan, who also played his last T20I back in November 2023.
Kishan’s move to SRH could mean he plays at number three. It might just be a piece of good news for him as Kishan would now have multiple spots to cash in. Meanwhile, India have a major room to slot a keeper in a finishing role. Jitesh Sharma and Dhruv Jurel are the perfect options if it happens. For those unaware, there was an outside chance for Jitesh to be in the reckoning for a keeper’s spot at the T20 World Cup 2024 had he performed well at IPL 2024. Unfortunately, he didn’t, making just 187 at 17.00. India then tried Dhruv Jurel as well. However, neither of them has put up an innings to remember. A healthy season as finishers with impactful performances could force people to look at them!
| Player | Inn | Runs | SR | Avg | 50 | 100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sanju Samson | 3 | 33 | 126.92 | 11.00 | 0 | 0 |
| Abhishek Sharma | 2 | 24 | 120.00 | 12.00 | 0 | 0 |
| Tilak Varma | 13 | 443 | 169.73 | 55.37 | 2 | 2 |
| Suryakumar Yadav | 23 | 714 | 165.66 | 34.00 | 6 | 1 |
| Rishabh Pant | 14 | 288 | 127.43 | 26.18 | 0 | 0 |
| Ishan Kishan | 4 | 114 | 134.11 | 28.50 | 2 | 0 |
Good time to be an all-rounder! Ft. Nitish Reddy, Riyan Parag
Isn’t it a good time to be an all-rounder? Irrespective of the format, head coach Gautam Gambhir has always liked to include as many multi-faceted players as he could. Especially in T20Is, he shies away from using specialists and opts for more than six bowling options. Nitish Kumar Reddy and Riyan Parag got the better of those opportunities until injuries struck them.
After a string of poor seasons, Riyan Parag finally showcased his talent with an amazing IPL 2024: 573 runs at 52.09. As a result, he was selected in the next three T20I series. He played nine T20Is and even an ODI. Come the IPL 2025, he would love to continue his IPL form and become a regular member once again.
As for Nitish Reddy, he’s already shown his massive abilities. On a majorly difficult BGT tour, the Andhra-born hammered a century in a Boxing Day Test, indicating his immense potential as a seam-bowling all-rounder. That century even dwarfed his 74 off 34 in a T20I against Bangladesh. As a number five or six batter, Nitish adds flexibility.
Two more players who give Parag and Nitish tough competition are Shivam Dube and Ramandeep Singh. Dube, obviously, being the T20 World Cup champ, is much more experienced and CSK will bank on him to dominate the middle overs again. Gladly, his bowling stocks have also risen, with Dube taking a fifer during a Ranji Trophy semi-final recently.
Talking about Ramandeep Singh, he also needs to raise his stocks as a bowler otherwise it might just be difficult to make a way in the Indian team. No doubt Ramandeep’s hitting abilities are quite amazing, but India already boasts countless batting options. Washington Sundar, meanwhile, is another all-format player. However, he is yet to have a superb IPL season. Who knows this might be his tournament!
Any chance for Chahal to creep in?
Now comes a tussle for the spinner’s spot. India already plays Axar Patel and Washington Sundar, making them enough options. Also, Varun Chakaravathy has made himself undroppable. Hence, a space for another frontline spinner looks slim but Kuldeep Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi are players too good to leave out.
Bishnoi has been a regular in T20Is, while Kuldeep’s exceptional rise has made him the best Indian spinner in the last 3 years. He is also the T20 World Cup 2024 winner, having taken 10 wickets at an economy of 6.95 in that campaign. A splendid season for the Delhi Capitals (DC) will make it tough to keep him out. So is the case with Bishnoi, who will play for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
But what about an outside chance for Yuzvendra Chahal? Despite all the chaos in his personal life, Chahal hasn’t given up on a national comeback. Chahal hasn’t represented India since August 2023. His form wasn’t great even prior to that but the leg-spinner remains the highest wicket-taking spinner for India (96 wickets in 79 innings). Chahal has been out of favour but can be in the reckoning if the PBKS spinner has an exceptional season ahead. If not, the game might be over for him.
What about pacers? Siraj will have something to say…
Last but not the least are pacers. Just like Abhishek, Tilak, Suryakumar, Hardik Pandya and Chakaravarthy, one pacer has his spot sealed. Arshdeep Singh, who is just a wicket away from being the first-ever pacer to take 100 T20I wickets, is just undroppable. But his pacer partners have changed. India have tried Mayank Yadav, Avesh Khan, and Mohammed Shami but none of them have settled in.
Both Mayank and Avesh are coming in after lengthy injury setbacks and thus this IPL 2025 would be damn crucial for them. Mayank is likely to become available in April. If he does well and remains injury-free, he’s definitely going to get another chance to represent Men in Blue.
However, one pacer who will use the IPL 2025 as a hunting ground would be Mohammed Siraj! Facing setbacks first from RCB and then getting dropped for the Champions Trophy, Siraj will have his tail up. This time in the Gujarat Titans (GT) jersey, the Hyderabad Express is expected to have a season to redeem himself!
