Manoj Bhandage IPL 2025: Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s new all-round prospect made a quiet but symbolic debut in the season opener, facing four balls and opening his IPL account with a solitary run. The left-hander from Karnataka walked in at a crunch moment, absorbed the pressure but fell while attempting his first boundary. With a strike-rate of 25 from that brief stay, the numbers hint at a work-in-progress finisher rather than a finished product. What makes the 24-year-old an intriguing pick for RCB is the untapped bowling dimension. Across 14 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy games he clocked speeds upwards of 135 kph and returned 11 wickets, yet RCB chose to unleash him purely as a pinch-hitter first-up. Zero overs in his maiden IPL outing means the mystery remains—when the management does throw the ball to Bhandage, the franchise will hope his skiddy pace and hard-length strategy can replicate those domestic returns on the grand stage. RCB shelled out ₹20 lakh to secure the uncapped all-rounder at the 2025 auction, signalling their long-term vision of grooming Indian talent who can deliver two overs in the powerplay and swing momentum with late-overs cameos. If the coming fixtures see Bhandage promoted ahead of the death overs, expect those four balls faced in the opener to quickly balloon into boundary-laden cameos—and the zero wickets column to flip into impactful breakthroughs.

David Warner IPL career – 6,565 runs at 139 strike-rate across 15 seasons Australian opener David Warner has turned the IPL into his personal highlight reel, amassing 6,565 runs from 4,697 balls since his 2009 debut with Delhi. The left-hander has blasted 663 fours and 236 sixes, translating to a boundary every 4.9 balls. Warner has reached fifty 62 times and gone past three figures on four occasions, his highest an unbeaten 126. After early seasons with Delhi Capitals, Warner became the heartbeat of Sunrisers Hyderabad, captaining the side to the 2016 title with 848 runs that year alone. He returned to Delhi Capitals in 2022 and, still going strong in 2024, has now faced 184 innings for two franchises while maintaining the same explosive intent. A solitary over with the ball is the only deviation from his batting master-class, underlining why Warner is remembered as one of the most feared IPL openers ever.

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