2025 IPL Spotlight: Who Are the Top Indian and International Stars to Watch?
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
Angkrish Raghuvanshi - Kolkata Knight Riders
The Kolkata Knight Riders have made a mixed start to the 2025 IPL season, splitting their first four games of the competition, two wins and two losses. However, one youngster who has caught the eye over the early stages of the campaign is Angkrish Raghuvanshi.
The 20-year-old batter posted his best score in this edition of the competition on Tuesday, when he blasted a half-century in just 32 deliveries, including five fours and two sixes, to help his side to a resounding 80-run victory over the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Raghuvanshi represented India at the under-19 level and was the highest run-scorer when the team won the Under-19 World Cup. Last year, he made a good impression in his first season in the IPL, showcasing tremendous versatility with his strokeplay, but this season he seems to be coming into his own.
After four games, Raghuvanshi is KKR’s leading scorer in the competition with 128 runs and an average of above 40. He will be back in action for the champs on Tuesday when they take on LSG at Eden Gardens, and you can check out our IPL predictions for that match ahead of the toss.
Hardik Pandya - Mumbai Indians
Hardik Pandya is no stranger to being in the spotlight, but he had a fairly underwhelming IPL campaign in 2024. While he took 14 wickets, the explosive hitting we have become accustomed to from him was almost non-existent, as he managed just 216 runs in 14 matches.
Indeed, he has made another underwhelming start to the current campaign with the bat, currently on just 39 runs in three innings, but he looks back to his best with the ball in hand following a record-setting performance against the Super Giants on Friday.
While Mumbai lost the match by 12 runs, Pandya etched his name in the history books, becoming the first captain in the tournament’s history to take a five-wicket haul in the IPL, as he bagged 5/36 - his best-ever T20 figures.
The India international claimed the scalps of orange cap holder Nicholas Pooran, as well as Rishabh Pant, Aiden Markram, David Miller and Akash Deep. In doing so, he surpassed the previous best bowling figures by a skipper of 4/16, set by the legendary Anil Kumble in 2010.
Nicholas Pooran - Lucknow Super Giants
While there are plenty of international players that deserve a mention, one who deserves all the praise he has already received is LSG’s Nicholas Pooran. The West Indian wicket-keeper batsman is the current orange cap holder and the only player in the competition to surpass 200 runs to date.
Last season, Pooran amassed 499 runs at an excellent strike rate of 178.21. However, this term, he looks well on course to obliterating his previous record, currently on 201 in just four innings, at a staggering strike rate of 218 - the highest of any player that has scored more than 100 runs in the competition so far.
The 29-year-old can maximise early powerplay overs, and if he is still at the crease at the death, his ability to accelerate the innings against pace and spin late on is a major asset to LSG this season. He will be determined to bounce back from his first failure in the campaign against Mumbai when he faces KKR next week.
Mitchell Starc - Delhi Capitals
The final player we are highlighting is none other than Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc. The veteran quick opted not to join the Baggy Greens at the Champions Trophy, and while that may not have gone down well back in his homeland, his new employers have benefited massively from having a fresh Starc in their arsenal.
The 35-year-old was the most expensive player in the IPL last season when KKR forked out ₹24.75 crore to secure his services, but in a shocking twist, he was released ahead of the IPL auction and was snapped up for less than half that price, just ₹11.75 crore, by the Delhi Capitals.
Starc has only played in three IPL seasons previously but took an incredible 51 wickets in just 41 matches in that time. This season, he looks in great rhythm and has already bagged eight scalps in just two games, including a best of 5/35 against the Sunrisers last weekend.
Starc and co are in action this weekend against Chennai, and our CSK vs. DC prediction is available now for you to take a look at.
