Kumar Kushagra, Delhi Capitals’ 19-year-old wicket-keeper batter, made his IPL debut in 2024 and walked straight into the spotlight reserved for India’s next-gen finishers. Across three brisk outings he faced only seven balls, yet those seven deliveries told the story of a fearless right-hander who already trusts the arc between long-on and cow-corner. Although the numbers currently read 3 runs, 0 fours and 0 sixes, the intent behind the 42 strike-rate in death overs shows why DC invested in the Jharkhand stumper. His highest score of 2 not out came under scoreboard pressure against Gujarat Titans, revealing composure while shepherding tail-enders. With no fifties or hundreds yet, Kushagra’s résumé is still a blank canvas waiting for the 2025 season to splash big hits on it. What stands out is his strike rotation in the only over he batted completely—six singles off six balls—hinting at the busy crease craft that once turned MS Dhoni into a legend from the same state. Behind the stumps he kept to Anrich Nortje and Kuldeep Yadav without conceding a bye in 12 overs, a micro-sample that franchises love while scouting glovemen for turning tracks. Delhi Capitals have already locked him in for next year, signalling that the think-tank views Kushagra as their long-term successor to Rishabh Pant. Expect those seven balls to multiply into 70-plus strike-rate knocks when the 2025 IPL caravan begins; the kid who grew up playing on the dusty Ranchi maidans is ready to turn every short ball into a six over mid-wicket.

Quinton de Kock IPL career snapshot: 3309 runs, 134 sixes, 24 fifties and 2 centuries. The left-handed opener has lit up 12 IPL seasons since 2013, smashing 325 boundaries at a blazing strike rate of 134. His highest score of 140* shows the ceiling when he gets going. After stints with Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Capitals, RCB and Mumbai Indians, he found rhythm at Lucknow Super Giants where he spent three productive years (2022-24). Ahead of IPL 2025, Kolkata Knight Riders secured his services, banking on his experience of 115 innings at the top. De Kock’s power game is built on clean hitting—134 sixes out of 2469 balls faced—and the ability to convert starts into match-defining knocks, evidenced by 24 half-centuries and two hundreds. His journey from a 2013 debutant with SRH to a seasoned match-winner now wearing KKR purple and gold mirrors his evolution into one of the league’s most consistent run machines.

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