Sai Sudharsan's rise, Shreyas Iyer's clear leadership and Vaibhav Suryavanshi's debut — how IPL 2025 influenced fans' favourites
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.
Best player of 2025 Indian Premier League according to fans
Before the season, 1xBet ran a similar survey — let's see how fan favourites changed:
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%).
The fans' choice is justified: the top-order batter showed an amazing performance, scoring 759 runs during the season. He played skillfully under pressure and rightly won the Orange Cap as the tournament's top scorer. Without a doubt, Sai Sudharsan has a bright future ahead and could become one of the India national team.
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%).
This player's main strength is consistency. The right-handed batter scored 25+ runs per match and earned the championship's MVP award. Thanks to his performance, the Mumbai Indians did well in the regular season and reached the semifinals.
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.
Also in the top 5 are Shreyas Iyer (7.05%) and Heinrich Klaasen (4%). Before the season, no one expected much from the Punjab Kings captain, but his leadership skills and calmness completely changed fans' opinions, earning him a well-deserved 4th place. Heinrich Klaasen also impressed fans in a new way, delivering one of the season's brightest highlights — a 37-ball knockout against KKR.
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.
The study showed that the most active voters were men aged 25-34. On average, this age group made up 30-50% of the votes, depending on the player. The research also revealed growing interest in cricket among younger fans: supporters aged 20-24 strongly backed Virat Kohli, matching the activity level of the 25-34 age group, both contributing 33% of the votes.
Top three captains of 2025 Indian Premier League
According to the 1xBet survey results, fan support was distributed as follows:
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.
Many experts and fans believe that Punjab managed to reach the playoffs for the first time in 11 years, largely thanks to Iyer's efforts. His impact on the crew changed the franchise's future, and he could soon be handed the captain's armband for the India national team. Shreyas Iyer has the mentality of a true winner and proves through his example that even one man can make a difference.
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.
Shreyas Iyer received over half of the fan votes, comfortably ahead of Rajat Patidar, who took second place. Hardik Pandya from the Mumbai Indians edged out Shubman Gill to claim the bronze in the fan ranking.
Who didn't meet fans' expectations
In the survey, fans also named the top 5 players they believe failed in IPL 2025:
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.
Fans never saw explosive innings from Rishabh Pant; instead, he got out early in games. He lacked consistency and confidence in his captaincy decisions. Some fans believe he burned out before the championship started and looked lost in crucial matches.
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.
His vast experience keeps him valuable as a mentor and tactician, but MS Dhoni barely impacts his squad's performance. He comes in too late, batting at 8th or even 9th position. Many question his fitness level and ongoing knee problems. With the captain in this shape, CSK had no chance of making the playoffs. Fans believe MS Dhoni's time is over and that he should consider retiring, as it's unlikely he will leave on a high note.
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.
At the same time, his purchase was a major investment for SRH. The amount spent did not match the impact delivered. Mohammed Shami conceded over 12 runs per over in several matches in a row, and his performance against PBKS went down in IPL history as one of the most notable failures (0/75).
Top 10 young players of IPL 2025
This season was full of bright debuts and exciting performances by young talents. Fans remembered these players the most:
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.
At just 14, Vaibhav Suryavanshi became the youngest player in IPL history and plays better than many veterans. He played 7 matches and scored 252 runs. He also has a high strike rate of 206.56.
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.
IPL is most unpredictable and thrilling cricket 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.
Follow the IPL and India's regional leagues with 1xBet and enjoy the rise of new legends in the cricket world!
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