IPL 2025: Top 3 player combos to watch out for

Both cricket analysts and fans will be paying close attention to certain comparable partnerships as the IPL 2025 gets underway on Saturday, March 22.

As a team sport, cricket relies heavily on cooperation, which is essential to producing positive outcomes and ultimately winning for the team. Whether it was Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis bowling together for Pakistan in the 1990s or Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh in the 2002 Natwest Series final, there have been many similar collaborations that have become famous for the performances those players performed together.

Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head, the opening duo for Sunrisers Hyderabad, the runners-up that year, displayed spectacular antics with their batting combinations in 2024. Having stated that, let’s talk about several crucial player combinations that could completely change the outcome of the 2025 league.

Top 3 Player Combos to watch in IPL 2025

1. Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

No surprises that Head and Abhishek will once again be the combination to look forward to most, especially after their blitzkriegs in 2024. The duo started opening for the first time in 2024, and playing in 15 innings, they hold a staggering 691 runs together for the first wicket at an average of 49.35. The pair also has three 100-plus partnerships, which is exceptional in T20 cricket, alongside a couple of fifty-plus stands as well.

Courtesy of their fireworks in the powerplay in 2024, SRH made their way to the Playoffs and ultimately played the grand finale as well. However, both the batters went back to the hut pretty early in the summit clash against KKR and that is what made the difference in the match. Their partnership would once again be the key to Hyderabad, if they wish to end their wait for the second title in the league.

2. Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler (Gujarat Titans)

Ace batters Shubman Gill may be seen opening alongside Jos Buttler after the latter joined forces with Gujarat Titans ahead of the 2025 season. The stumper-batter had become familiar to the Rajasthan Royals, however, the franchise parted ways with the English international, which is where Gujarat saw the opportunity.

Wriddhiman Saha was the preferred opener alongside Gill over the past three seasons, however, with his retirement, Buttler seems to be the perfect replacement for the Bengal veteran. Notably, Buttler has a terrific record in the league with as many as seven centuries, the most by any player after Virat Kohli who has eight. Gill, on the other hand, is also fairly experienced with 3216 runs from 100 innings, including four centuries in the league.

3. Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin (Chennai Super Kings)

Jadeja was among the five players retained by Chennai Super Kings before the team went to the table for the mega auction, where they picked Ravichandran Ashwin for a humble INR 9.75 crore sum. This marks the re-union of the Ashwin-Jadeja duo, which has won countless games not only for the franchise but for the Indian team as well over the years.

Playing for the CSK franchise, the duo has played 67 matches together, accumulating a whopping 110 wickets in the process at an average of 25.62. The spin twins have also been fairly economical with the ball for Chennai, giving runs at only 7.22 and a strike-rate of 21.4. Not to forget, both the all-rounders are equally capable with the bat as well, and their contributions could be the key to CSK’s record-breaking sixth title.