IPL 2025: A Unique Cricket Tournament
The IPL 2025 season was truly special. It faced challenges due to a war and saw a new champion. Many players shone brightly, making it tough to pick a Tournament XI. Let’s dive into the selections.
The Openers
We chose Phil Salt and Sai Sudharsan as our openers. It was a tough call, especially leaving out Virat Kohli. But Sudharsan was likely the best opener. We picked Salt for his explosive style to complement Sudharsan’s stability.
The Middle-Order
Our middle-order picks are Jos Buttler, Suryakumar Yadav, and Shreyas Iyer. These choices should be widely praised.
Buttler was the best No. 3 batsman. He was perfect for coming in early or with a set platform. Next is Suryakumar Yadav, the best batter in the tournament. His scores were amazing. He kept a balance between consistency and speed.
Batting at No. 5 is Shreyas Iyer. He is also our team captain. Shreyas had an incredible season with the bat. His leadership of the Punjab Kings was inspiring and smart. He managed a team with many rookies expertly.
The Lower Middle-Order
Krunal Pandya is a must-pick. He had a great season, shining with the ball and contributing with the bat. He took 17 wickets, his best-ever season.
Krunal is more of a firefighter than a quick starter. So, the two men with him need to be quick starters. Jitesh Sharma and Naman Dhir fit this role. They are among the best at starting quickly and finishing explosively. Jitesh’s keeping has been brilliant, so he will take the gloves.
The Bowlers
Three pace bowlers stood out: Josh Hazlewood, Jasprit Bumrah, and Prasidh Krishna. They are all automatic picks for the Team of the Tournament.
- Hazlewood was Bangalore’s star. He was sharp and hard to score off.
- Prasidh showed great control of length. His pace, bounce, and movement helped him get the most wickets.
- Bumrah was simply the best. He stood out and could conjure magic on demand. Even after a tough over, he bounced back strongly.
Two left-arm wrist spinners were in the running: Noor Ahmad and Kuldeep Yadav. Noor won the spot. He performed well for a struggling team. He often lacked run support or consistent bowling help. Yet, he shone brightly for CSK.
The Final XII
The team is: Sai Sudharsan, Phil Salt, Jos Buttler, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Naman Dhir, Krunal Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Josh Hazlewood, and Noor Ahmad.
This XII includes players from different teams:
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB): 4 players
- Punjab Kings (PBKS): 1 player
- Mumbai Indians (MI): 3 players
- Gujarat Titans (GT): 3 players
- Chennai Super Kings (CSK): 1 player
It also meets the four overseas player criteria: Salt, Buttler, Hazlewood, and Noor.
None of the bowlers are known for their batting. But with a strong batting line-up, they won’t need to bat much. So, one of them can sit out of the batting XI. Buttler might be the one to sit out of the bowling XI since he won’t have the gloves.
