Initial Intimations

Lucknow Super Giants

When Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran hit those big sixes in Visakhapatnam, LSG looked very much like the best side in this league. But in the run of play, new captain Rishabh Pant struggled to contain Delhi in the second innings. LSG though will take plenty of positives from their bowling department, with Shardul Thakur, M Siddharth, Digvesh Rathi and Ravi Bishnoi all claiming two wickets each. Once Aiden Markram and David Miller find their groove, LSG will achieve maximum potential and will be hard to beat.

Chennai Super Kings

The slower bowlers have always been the key to CSK’s success, thanks to Chepauk’s spin-friendly wickets. They do have a set of spinners to give their manic fans plenty to cheer about—off spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and Afghanistan’s chinaman bowler Noor Ahmad. The latter sparkled brightest during CSK’s campaign opener. He took four wickets for just 18 runs, to restrict Mumbai Indians (MI) to a score of 155 runs. Fast bowler Khaleel Ahmed also chipped in with three wickets. The runs still had to be chased down, which CSK’s top-order was most efficient at, with a quickfire fifty from captain Ruturaj Gaikwad even as Rachin Ravindra anchored the innings with an unbeaten 65.

Sunrisers Hyderabad

In their very first outing of the season, SRH scored the second-highest total in the history of the IPL—286 runs in 20 overs, just one run short of their own record from last season. This was largely due to Ishan Kishan’s maiden IPL hundred. He was ably assisted by SRH’s chief retainees, Travis Head and Heinrich Klaasen. They may be the team to beat once again, but their strategy of run-friendly pitches at home may backfire once in a while, as it nearly did in the opening game as Rajasthan Royals (RR) ended up scoring 242 runs themselves—but in this case, never really threatened to actually chase the mammoth target down.

Delhi Capitals

Ashutosh Sharma played the best innings of the opening round, his unbeaten 66—scored at No 7—putting his new franchise DC over the line in the thriller against LSG. Axar Patel’s new-look side won with just a wicket to spare, but it was really all-rounder Vipraj’s cameo of 39 runs, from 15 balls, that saw Delhi bag the victory and ensured that they put points on the board even without the services of KL Rahul, who sat out of the game for the birth of his first child.

Kolkata Knight Riders

Losing their title-winning captain, coach, opening batsman and new-ball bowler in the pre-season had a predictable impact, so much so that KKR’s defeat was the most one-sided witnessed in the opening round of fixtures. Yet, Ajinkya Rahane’s new-look side showed enough promise to give the fans reasons to believe that they could gel together as the tournament proceeds. Rahane’s knock of 56 (with four sixes) was a highlight, as were spinners Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine’s exploits.

Gujarat Titans

They may have lost their opening game despite having scored 232 runs, but former champions GT will be pleased with their set-up for the new season, especially with the two Sais in their team. Spinner Sai Kishore took three wickets and kept things tidy in a high-scoring game, while opening batsman Sai Sudarshan struck instant form with 74 runs. Sudarshan’s job was made easier by the presence of Jos Buttler, who threatened to topple Punjab’s tall score. On pitches that assist pace bowling, GT will be a force to reckon with.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Salt was just that to KKR’s wounds as he made the switch to his new team with a debut half-century, as did his opening partner, RCB’s evergreen legend Virat Kohli. New skipper Rajat Patidar didn’t panic during the opposition’s explosive start and unleashed left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya, who dismissed Rahane, the dangerous Venkatesh Iyer and the even more threatening Rinku Singh in his spell to win the Man of the Match award in his very first outing with RCB.

Mumbai Indians

Despite losing their 13th campaign opener on the bounce, the five-time champions left the shores of Chennai a happy team, having unearthed a potential match-winner in Vignesh Puthur who bagged three big wickets on debut. His mesmeric spell ensured CSK could only go past their small total of 155 runs in the final over of the match.

Punjab Kings

The biggest spenders at the mega auction, Punjab’s new signing came together beautifully in their opening game against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad. Shreyas Iyer scored 97 glorious runs, selflessly letting Shashank Singh bat the entirety of the final over and smack 23 runs from it, which took PBKS’ score to 243. Their opener, young Priyansh Arya, stood out on debut with 47 runs, while Punjab’s fast bowlers in Arshdeep Singh and Marco Jansen were among the wickets.

Rajasthan Royals

There aren’t too many positives to take from a match if the team’s strike bowler, the lethal Jofra Archer, is hit for 76 runs from his four overs—the most expensive over in the history of this league. But coach Rahul Dravid will be chuffed with the signing of Tushar Deshpande, who managed to take three wickets and not go for too many runs amidst that carnage. Then RR’s key batter, Sanju Samson, clobbered 66 runs, most of those scored alongside wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel’s pyro of 70 runs. Then Shimron Hetmyer flexed his big biceps with some mighty hits, warning everyone watching that the Jaipur franchise could soon become a real threat this season.

Ajinkya RahaneAxar PatelHardik PandyaIndian cricketIPL 2025Pat CumminsRajat PatidarRishabh PantRuturaj GaikwadSanju SamsonShreyas IyerShubman Gill