(Clockwise from left): Rishabh pant, Venkatesh Iyer, Priyansh Arya and Digvesh Rathi in action at the IPL. (Sportzpics)‘Talent meets opportunity’ is the Indian Premier League’s motto, and every season, hitherto unknown players become household names by the end of the tournament. At the same time, some of the most famous players in the world, acquired at hefty prices, see a fall in their stocks due to lacklustre performances. The same has been true in 2025 as well.
Price tag: Rs 27 crore
IPL 2025 stats: Runs scored: 128 runs| Average: 12.82| Strike rate: 99.22
It has been a season to forget for the Lucknow Super Giants skipper. Pant, despite his somewhat mediocre record in IPL and white-ball cricket representing India, has been bid on intensely for his promised potential, which he again failed to live up to. The composition of the Lucknow side with three left-handers in the middle order (Pant, Nicholas Pooran and David Miller) has not allowed him to have a settled batting position as well. Allied to his poor personal form, the wish of the team management to always have a right-left batting combination never let him get into rhythm through the campaign.
Venkatesh Iyer
Price tag: Rs 23.75 crore
IPL 2025 stats: Runs scored: 142 runs| Average: 20.29| Strike rate: 139.22
Venkatesh Iyer played a crucial role in Kolkata Knight Riders’ winning campaign last season. He often came in tough situations and bailed the side out of trouble efficiently. But with no Shreyas Iyer this year, Venkatesh not only had to be the crisis man but also a solid middle-order player who could adjust to any situation. His failure meant Kolkata’s batting was found wanting too often.
Heinrich Klaasen of Sunrisers Hyderabad plays a shot during an IPL match vs Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. (Sportzpics)
Heinrich Klaasen
Retention price: Rs 23 crore
IPL 2025 stats: Runs scored: 311 runs| Average: 34.56| Strike rate: 153.96
His stats are not bad, but the South African hasn’t had the desired impact. His ability to demolish spinners in the middle overs, seen frequently last season, went largely missing this campaign. On multiple occasions, Sunrisers Hyderabad needed his contributions because of the recurring top-order failures, but Klaasen often disappointed.
Rinku Singh of Kolkata Knight Riders play a shot during an IPL 2025 match vs Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi. (Sportzpics)
Rinku Singh
Retention price: Rs 13 crore
IPL 2025 stats: Runs scored: 197 runs| Average: 32.83| Strike rate: 153.91
One of his standout features when he burst onto the scene in IPL 2023 was his ability to finish games, which might explain him being sent pretty late in the order. But with the KKR batting struggling this season, Rinku had the opportunity to stand up and justify the faith shown by the franchise, which he largely failed to do.
Priyansh Arya
Price tag: Rs 3.8 crore
IPL 2025 stats: Runs scored: 417 runs| Average: 34.75| Strike rate: 194.85
His ton against Chennai Super Kings in Mullanpur is among the best innings of this season. One of the standout features of his batting, like that of many upcoming players, is the fearless approach and willingness to assert himself on the bowlers. The starts he and Prabhsimran Singh have given to the Punjab Kings have been a key factor in Punjab’s fruitful campaign thus far.
Digvesh Rathi
Price tag: Rs 30 lakh
IPL 2025 stats: Wickets: 12 | Average: 29.66| Economy: 8.09
Behind his showman notebook celebrations, there is a smart leg-spinner who has been bamboozling batters through his smart variations. It is fair to say that Rathi has managed to overtake Ravi Bishnoi as the lead spinner for Lucknow Super Giants in the course of the season. He has been the go-to bowler for Pant, starting as the middle-overs enforcer. But as the season went on, he started to bowl in the Powerplay and also at the death.
Sai Kishore of Gujarat Titans celebrates the wicket of Ashutosh Sharma of Delhi Capitals during an IPL 2025 match at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. (Sportzpics)
R Sai Kishore
Price tag: Rs 2 crore (Right to match)
IPL 2025 stats: Wickets: 14| Average: 17.64| Economy: 8.37
The potential in R Sai Kishore was always evident but he has come into his own this season. Accuracy and pace variations have been his strengths, but this year, he has also mastered carrom balls, which the batters have found hard to pick. For Gujarat Titans, he has not only kept a lid on the scoring, but also picked wickets consistently despite having Rashid Khan as his teammate.
Vipraj Nigam of Delhi Capitals appeals during an IPL match vs Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam. (Sportzpics)
Vipraj Nigam
Price tag: Rs 50 lakh
IPL 2025 stats: Runs scored: 122 runs| Average: 20.33| Strike rate: 179.41
Wickets: 9| Average: 28.44| Economy: 9.48
With Delhi Capitals, it has been a combined act rather than one player starring every single time. One of the important cogs of that wheel, which has gone under the radar, has been Vipraj Nigam. He has been efficient with his leg-breaks through the middle overs, partnering Kuldeep Yadav, and also got quick runs down the order whenever the team has found itself in trouble.
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