Marco Jansen has turned himself into one of the IPL’s most bankable pace enforcers after five seasons with four different franchises, finally anchoring the Punjab Kings attack in 2025. The 6'8" South African left-armer has already snapped 36 wickets from 35 bowling innings, striking every 20.36 balls—the sort of rapid-fire impact that turns middle overs into minefields. Twice he has run through a line-up to claim three-wicket hauls, and although a maiden five-for still eludes him, an economy of 9.41 on the high-scoring tracks of Hyderabad and Mohali shows he is willing to trade thrift for wickets without flinching. Jansen’s height extracts disconcerting bounce, and he has bowled 733 deliveries for 1,149 runs—numbers that tell the story of a bowler who attacks the stumps rather than just containing. With the bat he remains a handy lower-order striker; 141 runs off 129 balls, including eight fours and six sixes, underline the late-innings muscle he can provide. His highest score of 34 came during a cameo that swung momentum, and a strike rate of 109 keeps scoreboard pressure alive when he walks in. Having started with Mumbai Indians in 2021 and then spending three productive years at Sunrisers Hyderabad, Jansen has now become the spearhead for Punjab Kings. The trajectory is clear—each season he has been entrusted with more overs at the death, and each season the wickets have followed. At 25, the lanky left-arm quick is already on course to become one of the league’s premier pace exponents, and the 2025 campaign could be the stage where he leapfrogs from impact bowler to genuine match-winner.

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.