 "IPL 2025: How youngsters have fared so far with the 18th season nearing the halfway mark")
It’s been more than three weeks since the 18th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) kicked off with a star-studded opening ceremony at Kolkata’s iconic Eden Gardens that was followed shortly after by Royal Challengers Bengaluru handing defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders a seven-wicket defeat in the tournament opener.
A lot has happened since then, with Gujarat Titans and Delhi Capitals currently occupying the top two spots on the points table – the latter suffering their first defeat of the season after collecting four wins in a row. Five-time champions Chennai Super Kings, on the other hand, find themselves at the bottom, having lost five on the trot after starting their season with a victory.
As for the biggest Indian stars in action in IPL 2025, the likes of Shreyas Iyer, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav and KL Rahul are enjoying a fine run with the bat while Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Hardik Pandya feature among the top-10 wicket-takers.
The season, however, hasn’t been kind to mega stars MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma, both of whom have been in the news primarily for the wrong reasons. And though his team currently finds itself in the top half of the points table, Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant has hardly justified his price tag of Rs 27 crore with the bat so far this season.
If anything, the first half of the season has been all about the youngsters and their incredible performances against some of the most celebrated batters and bowlers in the world, a majority of whom are making their maiden appearance in the world’s biggest T20 league.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsAbhishek, Priyansh lead the way among ‘Gen Bold’
Abhishek Sharma and Priyansh Arya are roughly the same age. However, while one has already played international cricket and made his IPL debut seven years ago, the other is making his maiden appearance in the cash-rich league after his exploits in the Delhi Premier League as well as in the domestic circuit for Delhi.
Abhishek and Arya, however, are responsible for producing two of the most sensational knocks so far in the 18th IPL season and certainly one of the most memorable in IPL history, scoring a century in 39 and 40 balls respectively recently. Arya slammed the joint-fourth-fastest ton in the league’s history during Punjab Kings’ home game against Chennai Super Kings, which they ended up winning by 18 runs.
And in Punjab’s very next game, Abhishek would smash 141 off just 55 balls , also in a winning cause, posting the highest individual score by an Indian in the league as well as the highest in a run chase.
Another IPL debutant who has delivered this season and cemented his place in the team is Uttar Pradesh all-rounder Vipraj Nigam whose 39 off 15 balls was crucial to Delhi Capitals’ dramatic turnaround in the middle overs of their opening game against Lucknow Super Giants before Ashutosh Sharma finished things off in style.
And speaking of LSG, one cannot overlook leg-spinner Digvesh Rathi, who has already made headlines for his celebrations and showed his mettle in the team’s victory over Mumbai Indians with a haul of 4-0-21-1 in a game where every other bowler leaked runs at an economy of 10 or above.
MI have unearted a few gems of their own, with left-arm quick Ashwani Kumar (4/24) and leg-spinner Vignesh Puthur (3/32) producing dazzling performances on IPL debut against KKR and CSK respectively.
There are of course those with immense potential who are yet to prove their worth after getting a couple of chances, with MI’s Robin Minz being the first name to come to mind. Then there are the likes of Rajasthan Royals’ Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who had become the youngest player in IPL history in November but is yet to make his debut.
With more than half of the season left, there’s plenty of time for Minz, Suryavanshi and others waiting in the wings to make their mark.
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
