The top 4 uncapped batters of IPL 2025
From Naman Dhir's explosiveness to Priyansh Arya's memorable start - a look at some exciting young batters and how they have gotten here.
As a neutral, I cheer multiple players and multiple teams in every year’s IPL. But nothing gives me more joy than to see an uncapped (and possibly unknown) player rise to the occasion and make a name for himself. Almost 30 games into IPL 2025, there have already been some spectacular performances, and here are the batters I have enjoyed the most.
Priyansh Arya
Having caught the attention of multiple franchises with his efforts in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) and the Delhi Premier League, Priyansh Arya went for more than 12 times his base price. When he lit Mullanpur up with his audacious strokeplay against CSK, one could see why there was so much hype for Arya.
His 39-ball 100 was breathtaking by itself, but what happened around it is also important to take into consideration. The next 5 batters managed just 23 runs combined on that day, and yet Arya, with some support from Shashank Singh and Marco Jansen, got Punjab Kings to a commendable 219. The aspect of Arya’s strokeplay I enjoyed the most was how he handled hard-length balls bowled by pacers. This is easily the toughest length to hit and Arya was up to the task, even when he was offered little width.
It’s a small sample size but to score a boundary every 2.75 balls as a newcomer is just outstanding. The margin of error is minuscule for the bowlers bowling to this southpaw, and Punjab Kings might have found them another long-term opener to bat with Prabhsimran Singh.
Aniket Verma
He’s only played 1 match in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, but like Priyansh Arya made his name in the T20 league of his state. In Madhya Pradesh Premier League, the 23-year-old scored 123 runs off just 41 balls hitting 13 sixes and that’s why, Sunrisers Hyderabad called him for a trial.
Seeing him crush the two simulations that he was asked to participate in, SRH went ahead and picked this barely known player in the IPL 2025 auction for 30 lakh. He’s already scored a superb 74 in a losing cause against Delhi Capitals, but what stood out for me was the attitude.
Traditionally, Indian batters love wearing the orange cap and scoring a ton of runs to get noticed, but Verma in an interview said his dream for IPL 2025 is to hit the most sixes. The mindset within Indian cricket is changing, and I found this very refreshing.
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Angkrish Raghuvanshi
Trained under the outstanding Abhishek Nayar, Angkrish was India’s highest run scorer at the 2022 U-19 World Cup. Angkrish followed Nayar to KKR and immediately scored a 27-ball 50 in his 1st IPL innings. His contributions to KKR’s successful campaign last year have made him a regular in Kolkata’s line-up.
Unlike the others on this list, Raghuvanshi isn’t an out-and-out hitter. He’s more in the mold of a technically sound batter who is still improving his power-hitting and ability to score quickly. He’s been practicing unconventional shots like reverse scoops and trying to explore new ways to score to unsettle bowlers and keep the run rate ticking.
He’s not even 21 yet and has the U-19 World Cup, SMAT with Mumbai, and the IPL with KKR. Known to be one of the hardest working guys, he certainly is around the right people to set himself up for the future. I know a call-up for India is still very far, but he’s one of the uncapped players I think will fit into Test Cricket and ODIs very well.
Naman Dhir
Although just 25, Naman Dhir is the oldest man on the list. He is yet another hard-hitting batter coming out of Punjab’s infinite talent pool and, like Aniket Verma, bats lower down the order trying to score quickly batting first or help chase the target in the final few overs.
Across his T20 career, Dhir averages 34 at a strike rate of 195 against pace, scoring a boundary every 3.3 balls. In the recently completed game versus DC, he showed great awareness against Mitch Starc by helping a short ball over fine leg, before placing a near-yorker expertly into the vacant midwicket region next ball. His numbers against spin aren’t as solid, but he’s shown he has a wide variety of shots and smarts to maneuver the field and add crucial runs to the total.
This is by no means a complete list. From Punjab’s Prabhsimran Singh, Lucknow’s Abdul Samad, and Ayush Badoni to Delhi’s Abhishek Porel, there is incredible depth in Indian cricket across all batting positions. Of course, not all of these players will have a long career. Some may fade away in 5-8 years, like the Swapnil Asnodkars of previous years.
One thing is clear though, the quality of talent is unparalleled and these batters are very well-rounded despite being very young. This was certainly not the case when the IPL began all those years ago, and that’s great news for Indian cricket.