Best XI of IPL 2025 after Round 1: Ishan Kishan & Shreyas Iyer roar in, no place for Kohli-Gaikwad

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 is dazzling every household, not just in India but worldwide. Performances have been top-notch, especially if you are a six-hitting lover! As of now, every IPL 2025 franchise has played at least one game. The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) kicked off their campaign with yet another demolition and are currently at the top of the IPL 2025 points table.

Individual performances have taken the limelight. While the likes of Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal are yet to fire, other stars have crippled oppositions for fun. The redemption road has started for the likes of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer, who both might get added to the BCCI’s central contract list soon. Similarly, a lot of bowlers have started IPL 2025 on a terrific note. With this in mind, we take a look at the best XI for IPL 2025 from Round 1 games.

Note: Only matches 1 to 5 have been kept in mind while building this XI, i.e., Round 1.

Ishan Kishan to open with Rachin

Although Ishan Kishan has found a new life at number three with SRH, he will open the batting in this imaginary team. A designated opener, Kishan has taken on the responsibility of going helter-skelter from ball one at his new franchise. In his very first game, the southpaw clubbed his maiden IPL century. He hit an unbeaten 47-ball 106 to take SRH to the second-highest IPL total ever (286/6).

Batting alongside him would be CSK’s Rachin Ravindra. Ravindra made a match-winning 65* against arch rivals Mumbai Indians (MI). The Kiwi opener has kept Devon Conway on the bench and shown why CSK has put so much faith in him. Chasing a 156 on a tricky Chepauk track, Rachin’s half-century kept CSK in the hunt when he also saw other batters get out. From 78/1, CSK got to 116/5 at one point. However, the Kiwi kept his cool and finished the game off with a six.

Captain Shreyas Iyer follows

At number three is our captain, Shreyas Iyer, who played perhaps his best IPL knocks to take PBKS to the forefront. Against a potent Gujarat Titans (GT) bowling lineup, Iyer played some mind-boggling shots and made his career-best 97* off only 42 balls. He had a perfect opportunity to hit a ton but asked Shashank Singh to think about the team instead in the last over! Watch out for his mayhem in upcoming matches!

Meanwhile, the next two batters feature despite their respective teams losing the opening encounter. We are talking about Nicholas Pooran and Dhruv Jurel. Both hard-hitters did all they could and splashed superb knocks. Pooran showed why he was the top retention for LSG (Rs 21 crore) when he clubbed 75 off just 30 balls. He batted at a SR of 250! As for Jurel, he looked in sublime touch as well. Chasing a mammoth 287, the game was gone for RR. But Jurel showed his immense talent, caressing a 35-ball 70 himself. The way he bludgeoned Pat Cummins was commendable to watch.

Ashutosh Sharma: Remember the name

Ashutosh Sharma did what he could when he was at PBKS last year. But oh boy! he weaved a magic for Delhi Capitals a couple of days ago! Chasing 210, DC were at 113/6 at one point, and the game was gone. Ashutosh himself managed just 20 off 20 before going berserk in the death overs. He clubbed 46 in the next 11 balls and took DC home against LSG.

Ashutosh’s former teammate Shashank Singh also features in this best XI for IPL 2025. His 44 (16) was absolute gold for PBKS. Shashank scored 22 runs off Siraj in the final over and didn’t spare Rashid Khan either, hitting the ace spinner for 18 runs in just four balls.

RCB’s Krunal Pandya features with 2 CSK bowlers

Among the bowling front, the only Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) players make it! It is none other than Krunal Pandya, who won the Player of the Match award in the IPL 2025 opener vs KKR. On a track where KKR bowlers found it tough, the left-arm spinner used his experience. Not only did he dismiss Ajinkya Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer, and Rinku Singh, but he also gave away just 29 runs.

Now, here comes a pacer who bowled just three overs and didn’t take a single wicket. Yet, he’s in this imaginary team. Why? Well, some performances don’t get enough credit. They just are high-impact brilliance. Vijaykumar Vyshak’s spell against GT was one such example. Bowling in the 15th over and conceding just 28 runs in 3 overs was a notable achievement.

By targeting areas outside the off stump, he successfully stifled the chase, delivering two consecutive overs that yielded only 5 runs each. Although he was hit for 18 runs in the penultimate over, the match was already effectively won by that point.

Khaleel, Noor brilliance

Two CSK bowlers also make the cut – Khaleel Ahmed and Noor Ahmad. Both the left-armers put a halt to Mumbai’s batting as they picked up seven wickets between them. Khaleel Ahmed’s IPL 2025 campaign got off to a flying start, thanks to his superb display with the new ball. The left-arm pacer struck early, dismissing Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickleton, and bowled a tight spell in the powerplay, conceding just 16 runs in three overs. Although he was expensive in his final over, leaking 13 runs, his took his third wicket too.

Meanwhile, the hefty price tag of Rs 10 crore for the left-arm wrist spinner now seems like a shrewd investment. The Afghan spinner masterfully entwined the MI in his web of spin, claiming the crucial wickets of Suryakumar Yadav, Robin Minz, Tilak Varma, and Naman Dhir. By dismissing MI’s top scorers, Surya and Tilak, he effectively crippled the team’s batting lineup. Noor will be a handful, especially at Chepauk going forward, too!

Best Playing XI of IPL 2025 after Round 1 matches ft. Ishan Kishan

S. No	Player	Franchise
1	Rachin Ravindra	CSK
2	Ishan Kishan	SRH
3	Shreyas Iyer (C)	PBKS
4	Nicholas Pooran	LSG
5	Dhruv Jurel (WK)	RR
6	Shashank Singh	PBKS
7	Ashutosh Sharma	DC
8	Krunal Pandya	RCB
9	Vijaykumar Vyshak	PBKS
10	Khaleel Ahmed	CSK
11	Noor Ahmad	CSK
12 (Impact Player)	Vignesh Puthur	MI