As part of the study, over 3,000 respondents were surveyed. They picked their MVP of the season, the most successful captain, and the best young player.
Before the season, 1xBet ran a similar survey — let’s see how fan favourites changed:
Before IPL 2025
1
Sai Sudharsan (45,40%)
MS Dhoni (12,50%)
3
Virat Kohli (8,60%)
Abhishek Sharma (11,1%)
5
Heinrich Klaasen (4%)
Yashasvi Jaiswal (4,2%)
7
Abhishek Sharma (2%)
Rishabh Pant (2,9%)
9
Sai Kishore (1,60%)
Suryakumar Yadav (2,4%)
Sai Sudharsan showed the most impressive progress. A month before the start of IPL 2025, he wasn’t even in the top 10 players chosen by fans. But after the championship, he became the leader of this ranking, receiving over half the votes. Interestingly, Sai Sudharsan was supported most actively by fans from Maharashtra (11.17%), rather than from his home state of Tamil Nadu (5.49%).
Suryakumar Yadav also had a great season. After IPL 2025, he gained 10% more votes compared to the survey before the season and moved up from 10th place to second in the rankings. This rise was helped by votes from fans in Uttar Pradesh (12.50%), even though he was born in and plays for the Maharashtra team (9.87%).
Indian cricket legend Virat Kohli finishes third, receiving 8.60% of fan votes. Before the championship, he was the ranking leader and met fans’ expectations, playing a key role in the final and helping RCB end an 18-year trophy drought. However, no one predicted the rapid progress and standout performances of Sai Sudharsan and Suryakumar Yadav, so Kohli came third.
MS Dhoni delivered the biggest underperformance. Before IPL 2025, he confidently held second place in the fan ranking of top players, but by the end of the championship, he didn’t even make the top 10. This drop was mainly due to the overall failure of the Chennai Super Kings, who earned only 8 points and finished at the bottom of the standings.
Top three captains of 2025 Indian Premier League
Shreyas Iyer (PBKS) — 58,50%. Rajat Patidar (RCB) — 23,20%. Hardik Pandya (MI) — 3,80%.
The Punjab Kings captain received over half of the fan votes, topping the ranking by a huge margin. Shreyas Iyer knows how to lead his teammates and lift the squad during tough moments. At the same time, he’s showing top-level playing skills, with a high strike rate of 175.80.
Rajat Patidar received nearly half as many votes, but he helped RCB win the franchise’s first-ever championship title. The debutant captain handled his new role brilliantly and posted an impressive strike rate of 143.78. He managed to instil confidence in his squad members, and thanks to this resilience, RCB won all their away matches in the regular season — a unique performance that will go down in IPL history.
Who didn’t meet fans’ expectations
Rishabh Pant — 20%. MS Dhoni — 9,2%. Mohammed Shami — 5%. Hardik Pandya — 4,7%. Abhishek Sharma — 4,6%.
Money doesn’t play cricket, and the case of the Rishabh Pant auction proves this clearly. The record transfer fee of ₹27-28 crore put heavy pressure on the captain and main star of LSG. On average, Pant scored only 13-15 runs per match, and his contribution to the team’s overall performance was minimal. As a result, the Lucknow Super Giants didn’t get the expected impact from the expensive auction, finished 7th in the regular season, and missed the playoffs.
Half as many people voted MS Dhoni as the biggest disappointment, but the letdown over his performance is similar in scale to Pant’s failure. Fans wanted to see a spectacular end to the career of Indian cricket’s GOAT, but it seems MS Dhoni missed the best moment to say goodbye. Now, he looks like a pale shadow of his former self.
Mohammed Shami rounds out the top three biggest disappointments. For a long time, he was a symbol of reliability in the India national team’s attack and a hero of the 2023 World Cup, but he clearly failed in IPL 2025. Due to an ankle injury, Shami lost his former rhythm and no longer controls his bowling, which was his main weapon.
Top 10 young players of IPL 2025
Sai Sudharsan — 30,80%. Vaibhav Suryavanshi — 29,80%. Ayush Mhatre — 13,80%. Priyansh Arya — 8,90%. Noor Ahmad — 3,20%. Prabhsimran Singh — 2,30%. Harshit Rana — 2%. Vipraj Nigam — 1.60%. Arshin Kulkarni — 0.90%. Ishan Malinga — 0.90%.
Sai Sudharsan beat Vaibhav Suryavanshi by just 1% to win the fan vote for best young player. The formula for the success of the top-order batter from the Gujarat Titans is a strong mix of talent and a high strike rate (150+). Sai Sudharsan became the youngest player to score over 700 runs in the IPL and won the Orange Cap.
Despite his young age, Vaibhav Suryavanshi plays very aggressively and fearlessly. He hits sixes from the very first ball and is the perfect example of an explosive style. Just imagine what this guy will be able to do when experience in big matches is added to his natural talent. The Rajasthan Royals have the most valuable long-term asset in the league.
The results of the India Cricket Next Gen study confirmed that the IPL 2025 season brought plenty of exciting matches, surprises, and standout individual performances. This season also saw many high-profile debuts — young players are developing very quickly.
About 1xBet
1xBet is a globally recognised bookmaker with 18 years in the betting industry. The brand’s customers can place bets on thousands of sporting events, with the company’s website and app available in 70 languages. The official partner list of 1xBet includes FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, LOSC Lille, La Liga, Serie A, European Cricket Network, Durban's Super Giants, and other renowned sports brands and organizations. The company’s ambassadors in India are famous cricketer Heinrich Klaasen and actress Urvashi Rautela. The company has repeatedly been a nominee and recipient of prestigious professional honours such as IGA, SBC, G2E Asia, and EGR Nordics Awards.
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