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RCB crowned IPL champions
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) rampaged into the finals of this year’s IPL in a decidedly one-sided match against the hapless Punjab Kings. After an 18-year dry spell, RCB broke through with a 6-run win over the Kings (June 3) and were finally crowned IPL champions.
The Wunderkinds & Whizzkids
IPL 2025 served up some jaw-dropping cricketing talent during this season.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi picked up the length of the white cricket ball a split second faster than most batters. His bat rocked up and down a few times and then came down with a Bruce Lee flow, unimpeded and pure, with a whiplash finish. His body twisted around, and the ball flew through the midwicket stratosphere, as his shirt flapped around, revealing a hint of cherubic belly.
This was six number 11 for Vaibhav Suryavanshi, all of 14 years old, playing against seasoned international pros, also fully grown men. He had just hit the IPL’s second fastest 100 and the fastest by an Indian batter, beating the record of proto hitman, Yusuf Pathan. Before this innings, Suryavanshi’s existence was breaking records. Now his bat was joining the fun.
If he looked to go a bit too hard at the ball in his first innings of note in the IPL, a 20-ball 34, he was holding his shape better here, focused intently on timing over power. Please remember, this boy is just 14. His age became more apparent when he got out, scowling and pouting as if his favorite toy was taken away. Until that moment, Suryavanshi played like an adult with years of experience, calm, with a certainty in shot selection and a firm hold on that most abstract and elusive quality that all great cricketers possess – temperament.
Before cricketing pundits bandy on about “the next Sachin,” they need to pause and allow this whirlwind talent to settle, take root, and bloom – not under the lens of a billion phones pointed at the teenager. It pleases me that Suryavanshi’s all-time favorite cricketer and sometimes favorite human, Rahul Dravid, has taken this wunderkind under his wing.
Mhatre (17), Suryavanshi’s opening partner in the India U19 team, along with the fearless South African, Dewald Brevis (22), gave Chennai fans a lifeline after a terrible season. So did the increasingly incredible Noor Ahmed (barely 20), who at the time of writing was at the top of the charts with a whopping 24 wickets.
The 2025 edition of the IPLMany bucked many trends – presenting the 2025 IPL Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Awards.
Mumbai Khadoos Code of Batters hit-it-along-the-ground Grant
Presented to Sai Sudharshan, who has silkily stroked four times the number of fours as sixes
The Rajshekar Uncle Overstaying Your Welcome Ribbon
To MS Dhoni – he can stay for as long as he wants!
Mother Cricket Sickly Sweet Comeback Allocation
Karun Nair, on being named for the Indian Test team to England after 3000 days (an annoying way to say 8 years) after recording his famous “plea to cricket”
The Too Little Too Late Badge
Rishabh Pant for scoring an incandescent 118 not out after making 150 runs in 12 previous innings at a strike rate of 107
Karun Arjun Judwa Bhai Puraskar
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announcing their test retirements within a fortnight of each other
Rahul Dravid Controversial Declaration of Merit
The UAE Women’s team for declaring all 10 batters out in a T20 game to ensure that rain didn’t spoil their march to victory against the Qatar women.
Kadambari Historical Society’s “But it worked last year” Endowment
Sunrisers Hyderabad, for aiming for 300 runs in 20 overs despite diminishing returns over the season
The Ian Bishop “Remember the name” Exclamation
Jitesh Sharma for his 85 runs off 33 balls chasing an impossible 230 runs against the Lucknow SuperGiants
Vinoo Mankad “stop calling it a Mankad” Redaction
Jointly awarded to Rishabh Pant and R Ashwin
The MIA XII (but really, where were they?)
Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harry Brook, Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Thilak Verma, Jake Frazer Mc-Gurk, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Venkatesh Iyer, Mayank Yadav (special mention: Nitish Kumar Reddy)