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.

Hardik Pandya IPL career story: 11 seasons, 2749 runs at a 146 strike-rate, 148 sixes, 10 half-centuries Hardik Pandya has been one of the Indian Premier League’s most explosive batting all-rounders since his 2015 debut with Mumbai Indians. Across 140 innings he has unleashed 2,749 runs off just 1,871 balls, translating to a fearsome strike-rate of 146—the sort of number that turns middle-overs into match-winning passages. He has cleared the ropes 148 times and found the boundary another 207 times, underlining why captains post straight long-on and deep mid-wicket for him from ball one. His highest score of 91 and ten half-centuries show he can both finish innings and anchor them when required. While Pandya’s primary currency is runs, he has also delivered 78 wickets in 107 bowling innings, including one five-for and five three-wicket bursts. Operating at an economy of 9.18 and a strike-rate of 20.87, he often bowls the difficult overs at the death, trusting his cutters and the slower ball. Having represented Mumbai Indians for eight of his eleven campaigns and captained Gujarat Titans to the 2022 title, Pandya’s dual-skill value has made him a marquee name every mega auction.

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