The Best of IPL 2025

Avesh holds his nerve (LSG beat RR, April 19)

When LSG’s Avesh Khan completed his expensive and wicketless second over, the 16^th of the chase, Rajasthan needed just 33 runs from 4 overs with 8 wickets in hand. What more, Yashasvi Jaiswal was still at the crease and batting in the 70s. No wickets fell in the following over bowled by spinner Digvesh Rathi as well, so the odds were stacked in RR’s favour to pull off the easy win and not much was expected from pacer Avesh, who had gone for 26 runs from his first two overs. But as they say in cricket, the match isn’t over till the final ball is bowled, one that Avesh would shortly after in Lucknow’s winning cause.

Before that, with 25 to win from the last three overs, Avesh would clean up Jaiswal with a perfect yorker with his first ball. There was now a sliver of hope for Rishabh Pant and LSG, which would widen significantly with Avesh dismissing Riyan Parag LBW for 39 with his last of the over. Two new batters were now at the crease, but only 20 runs were needed from the last two overs – relatively easy pickings for the chasing side in this format. Eleven of those runs were indeed picked in the penultimate over, leaving Avesh with the unenviable task of defending just 9 runs from the final over.

A single to Dhruv Jurel brought the dangerous Shimron Hetmyer on strike, who Avesh dismissed a ball after a double was nicked. Another dot ball to Shubham Dubey, followed by a dropped catch reduced the equation to 4 runs, 1 ball. Avesh bowled it full and blocked the return hit by sticking out his palm. He winced in pain but the wash of success did enough to numb the effect, and Lucknow had won an all but lost match.

Punjab’s greatest escape (PBKS beat KKR, April 15)

What do you do after getting bowled out for just 111 runs in under 16 overs, on your home ground no less? Turn that nothing total into the lowest score ever defended successfully in the history of the IPL, of course. That’s exactly what Shreyas Iyer’s PBKS did in Mullanpur, against Ajinkya Rahane’s KKR – a team that Iyer led to the title last season, yet was unceremoniously let go off in time for the mega auction this year. Such was Iyer’s revenge, served relatively hot thanks to the brilliance of Yuzvendra Chahal, IPL’s highest-ever wicket-taker, blazing yet again against his favoured opposition.

At one stage, the chase seemed to be a cakewalk, as it ought to have been. KKR were 62/2 in the 8^th over, needing just 50 runs at under 4-an-over to seal the deal, when leggie Chahal trapped Rahane leg before. That was his first over, and in his next, he got rid of Angkrish Raghuvanshi – KKR’s top scorer by a mile. Before Chahal’s third, part-timer Glenn Maxwell removed Venkatesh Iyer, causing a real wobble in the Kolkata ranks, which was toppled with force as Chahal picked his third and fourth wickets – Rinku Singh and Ramandeep Singh, respectively – in consecutive balls to leave the visitors reeling at 77/7. The onus lay on the big-hitting prowess of Andre Russell to bail them out. He couldn’t, the last man out, dismissed for a laboured 17 – giving Punjab a historic 16-run win.

Avesh KhanDigvesh RathiIndian cricketIPL 2025Lucknow Super GiantsRajasthan RoyalsWeb Exclusive