The 2025 Indian Premier League was as action-packed as it could be. Several contests were thrilling to watch. From run fests to low-scoring thrillers, IPL 2025 provided enough of pleasure for the cricket community. The excitement around the 18th season of the flagship T20 competition paid well on all fronts.
Aside from the appeal of renowned players and high-profile signings, the recently finished season included a handful of relatively unknown players who delivered outstanding performances. Whether with a bat or a ball, these athletes provided consistently. Through some remarkable outings, these surprise surprises emerged as refreshing names to look forward to in the near future.
Here are the five players who turned out to be surprise packages:
1. Digvesh Rathi (Lucknow Super Giants)
Digvesh Rathi created a stir owing to his exceptional performance for South Delhi Superstarz in the inaugural edition of the Delhi Premier League in 2024. He only made his T20 debut for Delhi after the leg-spinner was landed with LSG at the mega auction for his base price of INR 30 lakh. He entered the IPL with only two 20-over games under his belt.
Digvesh’s witty style of bowling and presence of mind during matches made him stand out from the rest. His unique approach to the popping crease and animated style of celebrating wickets made him a talking point in the tournament. Several prominent batters found it tough to get him away to the boundary. Digvesh ended IPL 2025 with 14 wickets in 13 games at an economy rate of 8.25.
2. Ayush Mhatre (Chennai Super Kings)
Ayush Mhatre replaced Ruturaj Gaikwad, the full-time captain, due to an injury in the middle of the season. Mhatre had originally gone unsold at the big auction. In the lead-up to the IPL, there was a lot of talk about Mhatre’s First-Class and List A seasons. It is worth noting that he had never played a 20-over game at the senior level before entering the CSK dressing room.
As fate would have it, the Mumbai-born kid made his debut against the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium. Although CSK lost the game, Mhatre had a memorable evening, scoring 32 points out of 15. The brilliant batsman went six shy of a magnificent century against RCB in Bengaluru. His 48-ball 94 included nine fours and five sixes.
3. Aniket Verma (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
The Uttar Pradesh-born Madhya Pradesh middle-order batter, Aniket Verma, had not played a single game at the senior representative level when he was acquired by SRH for his base price of INR 30 lakh at the mega auction ahead of IPL 2025. Other than his six innings with Bhopal Leopards in the Madhya Pradesh League in 2024, Aniket had played just one game for Madhya Pradesh in the SMAT.
Aniket made the most of his first run in the IPL in the limited opportunities he got to feature in. He ended up the season with 236 runs at a strike rate of 166.19. More than 70% (12 fours and 20 sixes) of Aniket’s tally came via boundaries. His 74 (41) against DC was a vital knock which rescued SRH from a horrific collapse up top to them posting a respectable total on the board.
4. Vipraj Nigam (Delhi Capitals)
Commendable showings in the Uttar Pradesh T20 League and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2024 earned Vipraj Nigam an INR 50 lakh deal with DC. Not a lot was known in relation to Nigam other than his limited display for Lucknow Falcons and Uttar Pradesh. Unlike Suryavanshi, he was drafted straightaway into the mix by DC. Vipraj’s IPL debut came in DC’s first game of the season.
He was bowled for only two overs, which cost 35 runs with a wicket to his name. It was his fireworks with the bat (39 off 15) which came to his side’s rescue during a high-scoring run-chase. Vipraj grew as the season progressed. His quick-arm leg-spin seemed to be keeping quite a few batters struggling to pick him. Although it was not a wicket-heavy season for him, Vipraj surely is one to look out for.
5. Vaibhav Suryavanshi (Rajasthan Royals)
Vaibhav Suryavanshi had already attracted a lot of attention after being won for INR 1.1 crore in the super auction. After all, he was the youngest player in IPL history to sign a contract. However, there was some uncertainty about how much RR wanted to expose the youngster. The southpaw sat out RR’s first seven games of the season.
He made his debut in place of the injured Sanju Samson. Suryavanshi’s first delivery was dispatched for an extravagant maximum over the extra-cover fence. Suryavanshi’s maiden innings lasted 20 balls and yielded 34 runs. Two games later, he became the IPL’s youngest hitter to score a hundred. The 14-year-old finished with 252 runs in seven innings and a blistering strike rate of 206.55.
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