KS Rathore IPL 2025: Rajasthan Royals' mystery man who faced just five balls in his debut season. The 22-year-old wicket-keeper batter from Jaipur walked in against Sunrisers Hyderabad on 23 March 2025, blocked four balls and left the fifth one alone, yet the buzz around the right-hander refuses to die. Drafted for his 800-plus runs in the 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy at a strike-rate of 172, Rathore’s IPL ledger currently shows 0 runs off 5 balls, 0 fours, 0 sixes and an unbeaten highest score of 0*. Those zeros, however, tell only half the story. Behind the numbers is a fearless top-order dasher who hammered 14 sixes in the domestic T20 season and smashed four 50-plus scores while opening for Rajasthan in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Royals head coach Kumar Sangakkara has already earmarked Rathore as a “finisher-explosive” for the 2026 mega-auction, hinting that the youngster will be groomed as Jos Buttler’s long-term opening partner. Rathore’s glovework adds another layer of intrigue; he pouched 17 dismissals in the latest Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the most by any keeper in the competition. With Royals set to play seven home games at the batting-friendly Sawai Mansingh Stadium next year, fantasy managers and data scouts alike are circling 27 March 2026 – Rathore’s probable first home appearance – as the day the “zero” story finally flips into a whirlwind of boundaries.

Suryakumar Yadav – the man universally known as “SKY” – has spent 13 electrifying IPL seasons turning the 22-yard strip into his personal launchpad. Across 151 innings he has blazed 4,311 runs from 2,900 balls, a strike-rate of 148 that underlines relentless aggression rather than mere accumulation. The right-hander has cleared the ropes 168 times and found the fence another 454 instances, giving him more than one boundary every fifth legal delivery he faces. Two centuries and 29 half-centuries – including a career-best 103 – sit on his résumé, proving that the pyrotechnics are backed by substance when the team needs a big knock. SKY’s journey began with Mumbai Indians in 2012, shifted to Kolkata Knight Riders for four productive years, then returned to the blue-and-gold in 2018. Since that homecoming he has worn the MI colours every single season up to 2025, becoming the heartbeat of the middle order at the Wankhede. With 4,311 runs he now sits among the league’s elite run-getters, and the fact that he has done it at a near-150 strike-rate makes the record even more formidable. Whether scooping over short fine-leg, sweeping fast bowlers, or muscling sixes into the stands, Suryakumar Yadav has re-defined 360-degree batting in the IPL and shows no signs of slowing down.

Note: This overview is partially generated using AI and is based on statistical data. Please verify with official sources for complete accuracy.