RCB’s away run to Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s blitzkreig

The IPL 2025 is back once again. After a tournament halted for 10 days, the action resumes in Bengaluru with the race for the playoffs still very active. 6 different venues will host the remainder of the games with the final set for June 3. Here we recap the top 10 highlights from the season so far.

MS Dhoni back as captain

MS Dhoni was the captain when the IPL began back in 2008. 17 years later, Dhoni is still at the helm of the Chennai Super Kings. The 43-year-old took over reins from Ruturaj Gaikwad after he was ruled out with a fracture. Dhoni while still a champion behind the stumps, could not rescue his team and push for a playoff spot.

RCB’s dream away run

RCB’s struggles at the Chinnaswamy are well known. However, the Rajat Patidar-led side has seemed to found an antidote. Will away games. In the 6 away games this season, RCB have been victorious on all instances. KKR won all 7 away games in 2012 winning the title, and RCB would hope to emulate that streak.

Rishabh Pant, Venkatesh Iyer – big pockets, small returns

Rishabh Pant made headlines by becoming the most expensive player in IPL Auction history with a 27 crore winning bid. KKR bought back Venkatesh Iyer for a massive 23.75 crore. Both have failed to make their mark in IPL 2025. KKR are all but out of contention of playoffs contention, while LSG are only hanging by a thread.

Abhishek Sharma’s record breaking night

Abhishek Sharma has not had the greatest of season, but he did turn up in Hyderabad. Chasing a 240+ score against Punjab Kings, Sharma was at his destructive best striking 141 after receiving a few reprieves. The 25-year-old’s innings was the highest score by an Indian in IPL history, helping SRH scale down the second highest total in IPL.

Mitchell Starc and a Super Over after 4 years

Delhi Capitals broke the bank to sign Mitchell Starc. The 35-year-old single handedly won them the game against Rajasthan Royals with a show of excellent death bowling. Starc defended 9 in the final over, and then restricted RR to just 11 in the Super Over. Stubbs and KL Rahul made light work of that and Delhi clinched 2 points. RR then went on to lose 2 more games, failing to get 9 and 18 in the death.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi – 14-year-old six hitter

Vaibhav Suryavanshi was Rajasthan’s last throw at the dice. The 14-year-old is one of RR’s only positives this season. The left-hander, just 14, smashed the Gujarat Titans to all parts of Jaipur to score a hundred. It came in just 35 balls, the fastest ever by an Indian.

Temporary replacements

Escalations on the border meant that the IPL had to be shut down for 10 days. That meant the IPL window extended by a week, clashing with the national duty of several overseas stars. To counter, BCCI allowed for temporary replacements for the final leg of the tournament. Kusal Mendis, Will O’Rourke, Kyle Jamieson have all joined IPL 2025 temporarily, with franchises not allowed to retain them ahead of next season.

Starc, Moeen Ali opt out

For many overseas stars, the delay and security concerns meant a great blow. Delhi’s Jake Fraser-McGurk and Mitchell Starc opted out of returning for the rest of the tournament. Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Jamie Overton, Rachin Ravindra and many others opted against returning concerned about safety and upcoming commitments.

Mayank Yadav’s injury woes

Mayank Yadav burst onto the scene with his searing pace last season. Despite playing just 4 games, Mayank was retained for a whopping 11 crore having made his India debut. However, he missed half the season with a troublesome toe injury. On return, the 23-year-old was well under par, not hitting the pace he used to. He was then ruled out due to a back injury, with Will O’Rourke replacing him.