Moneyball in IPL 2025 edition

Moneyball:
IPL 2025 edition
Champions of the 2025 Indian Premier League, Royal Challengers Bengaluru made their biggest splash by acquiring Josh Hazlewood for ₹12.5 crore – and he proved worth every rupee. The Australian pacer delivered a stellar season, claiming 22 wickets at an economy rate of 8.77 and a blistering strike rate of 12.
The team's most expensive retention, Virat Kohli, came at ₹21 crore, and he paid back handsomely—scoring 657 runs at an outstanding average of 54.75 and a strike rate of 144.71.
Down the table, the returns were far less convincing. Seventh-placed Lucknow Super Giants spent ₹27 crore on Rishabh Pant, who managed just 269 runs – century included – at an underwhelming average of 24.45 and strike rate of 133.16.
Eighth-placed Kolkata Knight Riders shelled out ₹23.75 crore to retain Venkatesh Iyer, who could only muster 142 runs with equally modest returns in average and strike rate. All of which begs the question: who was truly worth their buck in the 2025 edition? It's not a straightforward call.
T20 is a game of roles and moments – players might not top the run or wicket charts, yet deliver in clutch situations that turn matches and seasons. Value, in this format, is as much about impact as it is about stats.
To figure out who delivered the most – and who didn't – we analysed every ball of the 2025 IPL season using ball-by-ball data. But instead of just looking at who scored the most runs or took the most wickets, we compared each player's performance to a three-year average (from 2023–2025) to get a more comprehensive picture of their impact.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Time of India

40 minutes ago

• Time of India

Photos: After being ignored for England Tests, Shreyas Iyer holidays in Kazakhstan

Pictures of Shreyas Iyer on vacation in Kazakhstan have gone viral on social media (Image via X/@AnuranDey_96) Star Indian batter Shreyas Iyer has opted for a quiet break in Kazakhstan after a rollercoaster month on the field and a notable omission from India's Test squad for the ongoing series against England. Iyer, who recently led the Punjab Kings (PBKS) to the IPL 2025 final and then captained the SoBo Mumbai Falcons in the T20 Mumbai League, found himself on the losing side in two consecutive high-stakes matches. Despite a stellar run with PBKS, who topped the IPL league table with nine wins and 19 points, Iyer's side fell agonisingly short in the title clash, losing to Royal Challengers Bengaluru by just six runs. He returned to domestic action almost immediately, turning out for the SoBo Mumbai Falcons in the T20 Mumbai League. The Falcons, guided by Iyer's experienced leadership, reached the final but were defeated by Mumbai South Central Maratha Royals by five wickets — adding another near-miss to Iyer's summer. Shubman's Big Test Begins! India's Probable XI & Stokes' Mind Games | ENG vs IND 1st Test Preview Adding to the disappointment, Iyer was left out of India's squad for the ongoing Test series against England — a decision that has raised eyebrows, given his experience and proven ability in the middle order. Iyer blows off steam in Kazakhstan Away from the pitch, Iyer is now recharging in Kazakhstan alongside close friends. A fan video on social media shows him cruising through the city in a car with Siddesh Lad, a former Mumbai Ranji Trophy player and T20 Mumbai League regular, and another companion. The trio later posed for photos, with Iyer spotted in a white shirt, donning black shades. In another clip, the PBKS skipper is overcome by laughter, reacting to his teammate. While Iyer's recent run has been a mixed bag on the pitch, the break comes as a timely reset ahead of what's shaping up to be an important few months for the stylish right-hander. Game On Season 1 kicks off with Sakshi Malik's inspiring story. Watch Episode 1 here

NDTV

44 minutes ago

• NDTV

BCCI Blasted For Favouritism As Domestic Star Misses Out On Debut In 1st Test

The first installment of Sai Sudharsan 's Test debut lasted just four balls as he was dismissed by England captain Ben Stokes on the stroke of Lunch in the first Test in Leeds on Friday. Sudharsan nicked a delivery which was going down the leg, and England wicketkeeper Jamie Smith did the rest, leaping wonderfully to his right and grabbed the ball with both hands. It was not the ideal start for Sudharsan and his wicket also allowed England to peg India back after a great start to the opening day of a long tour. While it is too early to judge Sudharsan after just one failure, fans were not happy with his inclusion in the team in the very first place. Sudharsan's debut came at the expense of Bengal captain Abhimanyu Easwaran, who was once again overlooked despite piling runs in Domestic cricket. Easwaran received his maiden call up in 2022 but is yet to make his India debut. Fans, however, slammed the BCCI for giving prefence to IPL talents. I feel bad for Abhimanyu Easwaran,he was not given a chance again today,before him Sai Sudarshan was given a chance,whereas Easwaran is consistently performing better than Sudarshan in domestic cricket. #INDvENG #INDvsENG #ENGvIND #ENGvsIND #TeamIndia — kuldeep singh (@kuldeep0745) June 20, 2025 Abhimanyu Easwaran deserved a chance in 1st match. Bcci is treating him like untouchable. Ipl can't be criteria for selection in tests. — Mankirat Singh (@rock0010000) June 20, 2025 What about A Easwaran? He performs well at the domestic level every year and is consistently being selected in the team, but he is not being given a chance to play. Sai Sudharsan is a good player, but Easwaran should have been given a chance before him. #ENGvIND #INDvsENG — kuldeep singh (@kuldeep0745) June 20, 2025 It's just a social media pressure that's why BCCI picked Abhimanyu Easwaran in the team. He is never going to get a game for india in near was benched in Australia and will countine to do so in other SENA thinks he can only survive in Indian pitches. — Sujeet Suman (@sujeetsuman1991) June 20, 2025 Sai Sudarshan out for 4 balls duck: 1st ball - Huge appeal, 2nd ball - Dot, 3rd ball - Huge appeal, 4th ball - Out 3 out of 4 balls were nightmare and that is what happens when you ignores merit of Easwaran. Still all love to Sudarshan, he will come back. — MachisKiTeeli (@machiskiteeli) June 20, 2025 India went to lunch at 92 for two on the first day of the opening Test of the five-match series. Rahul (42) and Jaiswal (42 not out) made the England attack look pedestrian until the former and debutant B Sai Sudharsan (0) got out in the final moments of the first session. Stokes' decision to bowl first might have stemmed from the transformed nature of Headingley track which has become a batter's ally in the last decade, and that character was visible in the first session of the match itself. There was a hint of movement and swing for the pacers, but the Indian openers were well up to the task on a largely sunny morning. An England attack that did not have either James Anderson or Stuart Broad in its roster did not seem to have the ammunition to trouble the Indian batters on a rather flaccid pitch. The unit consisting of Stokes himself, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue and Chris Woakes either bowled too full for Rahul and Jaiswal to bring out their drives, or were on pads for the batters to milk them for some easy singles.

Business Standard

44 minutes ago

• Business Standard

Debut to Forget: Sudharsan joins unwanted list after getting out for a duck

Sai Sudharsan was handed his maiden Test cap by Cheteshwar Pujara ahead of the opening day of the first Test against England at Headingley. However, his debut turned out to be one he'd quickly like to move past. Facing just four deliveries, Sudharsan was dismissed without scoring, caught down the leg side on the final ball before the lunch break. The dismissal was a stark contrast to his outstanding form in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL), where he amassed 759 runs for the Gujarat Titans. Expectations were high for the young left-hander to carry that momentum into red-ball cricket, but he couldn't make an impact in his first international outing. Indian batters dismissed for a duck in their first Test innings (Top 6): Player Opponent Venue Year GR Viswanath Australia Kanpur 1969 Kris Srikkanth England Mumbai 1981 Devang Gandhi New Zealand Mohali 1999 Vijay Bharadwaj New Zealand Mohali 1999 Sai Sudharsan England Leeds 2025 Check ENG vs IND 1st Test Day 1 LIVE SCORE UPDATES here A shared 1st session in Headingley Opting to bowl first didn't work out well for Stokes, as the opening session saw both Indian openers regularly finding the boundary while also showing good discipline in leaving deliveries outside off stump. The pair looked comfortable at the crease, putting together a solid 50-run stand. Stokes brought himself into the attack and delivered a few testing balls, nearly dismissing KL Rahul with a wide delivery outside off. However, it was Brydon Carse who finally provided the breakthrough for England, removing KL Rahul with a catch in the slips by Joe Root just before the lunch interval. Debutant Sai Sudharsan came in at number three but couldn't make an impact, falling for a duck after edging a delivery from Stokes down the leg side, making it 92/2 at lunch.