The league stage of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 ended last night (May 27) on an absolute high. Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, two teams that are yet to win the coveted trophy, have finished first and second in the points table. If one were to go by what happened in the previous eight seasons, the teams that finished first or second in the league stage ended up as champions. We may witness a first-time champion on June 3.
Fans, commentators, broadcasters, and podcasters have started to pick their best playing XI/XII of the tournament. The teams we pick are largely meaningless. It just exists on paper, a big fantasy. Should it exist only as a fantasy? What if a match featuring the best players from the tournament played an all-star game at the end of the season?
IPL all-star match
A post-season all-star match featuring the best players from South and West-based franchises taking on players from North and East-based franchises was mooted by the Indian Premier League authorities in 2020.
Sourav Ganguly, the president of BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) at that time, announced that an IPL all-star game would take place for charity purposes.
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The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in the postponement of the league altogether. Three IPL seasons (2020 to 2022) were played under strict biosecurity protocols, and the all-star match idea naturally took the backseat.
IPL 2025 all-star teams
The league was an eight-team affair until 2021. The same South & West vs North and East splitup will serve for the expanded leagues as well.
Geographical distribution of the teams.
North: 4 (DC, LSG, PBKS, RR)
Squad composition
Team South-West: CSK, GT, MI, RCB, SRH
Team North-East: DC, KKR, LSG, PBKS, RR
Team South-West
Players from three of the four teams that qualified for the playoffs will be part of this squad.
| Player | IPL team | Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Sai Sudharsan | Gujarat Titans | Runs – 679, SR – 155 |
| Virat Kohli | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Runs – 602, SR – 148 |
| Shubman Gill (C) | Gujarat Titans | Runs – 649, SR – 156 |
| Jos Buttler (WK) | Gujarat Titans | Runs – 538, SR – 163 |
| Suryakumar Yadav | Mumbai Indians | Runs – 640. SR – 168 |
| Naman Dhir | Mumbai Indians | Runs – 206, SR – 181 |
| Krunal Pandya | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Runs – 105, Wickets – 15 |
| Noor Ahmad | Chennai Super Kings | Wickets – 24, Economy – 8.2 |
| Prasidh Krishna | Gujarat Titans | Wickets – 23, Economy – 7.9 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | Mumbai Indians | Wickets – 17, Economy – 6.3 |
| Josh Hazlewood | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Wickets – 18, Economy – 8.4 |
The team is far from perfect, as Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler are batting out of position. Yet, one can expect them to deliver the goods from their new batting positions.
RCB opener Phil Salt (runs – 331, SR – 172), Gujarat Titans finisher Sherfane Rutherford (runs – 267, SR – 157), MI pacer Trent Boult (wickets – 19, economy – 8.5), and SRH’s hard-hitting batter Aniket Verma (runs – 236, SR – 166) will be part of the 15-member squad.
Team North-East
Punjab Kings, the league toppers, have the largest representation.
| Player | IPL team | Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Prabhsimran Singh | Punjab Kings | Runs – 499, SR – 166 |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | Rajasthan Royals | Runs – 559, SR – 160 |
| Nicholas Pooran | Lucknow Super Giants | Runs – 524, SR – 196 |
| Shreyas Iyer (C) | Punjab Kings | Runs – 514, SR – 172 |
| KL Rahul (WK) | Delhi Capitals | Runs – 539, SR – 150 |
| Shashank Singh | Punjab Kings | Runs – 284, SR – 149 |
| Marco Jansen | Punjab Kings | Wickets – 16, Economy – 9.2 |
| Digvesh Rathi | Lucknow Super Giants | Wickets – 14, Economy – 8.3 |
| Mitchell Starc | Delhi Capitals | Wickets – 14, Economy – 10.2 |
| Arshdeep Singh | Punjab Kings | Wickets – 18, Economy – 8.6 |
| Varun Chakaravarthy | Kolkata Knight Riders | Wickets – 17, Economy – 7.7 |
Punjab Kings opener Priyansh Arya (runs – 424, SR – 184), Punjab Kings middle-order batter Nehal Wadhera (runs – 298, SR – 152), Delhi Capitals spinner Kuldeep Yadav (wickets – 15, economy – 7.1), and the Rajasthan Royals teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi (runs – 252, SR – 207) will be part of the 15-member squad.
The list is not the most perfect one. CSK’s Ayush Mhatre and Dewald Brevis captivated the fans with their audacious hitting. Yuzvendra Chahal single-handedly won two games. Mumbai Indians’ Will Jacks played a massive part in the team’s revival. All of them present a solid case to be part of the playing XI.
Let’s ignore the exercise and focus on the larger picture. An all-star game will take the league to newer heights. Imagine an all-star tournament featuring three games, one in Mumbai, one in London, and one in Johannesburg. New York City, maybe?
Stay updated on all the action from the IPL 2025. Check the IPL 2025 Schedule, track the latest IPL 2025 Points Table, and follow the top performers with the Orange Cap and Purple Cap.
