Yash Thakur IPL 2025: 25 wickets, 5-wicket haul, 17.72 strike-rate – Punjab Kings’ new-ball weapon Punjab Kings struck gold ahead of IPL 2025 by securing the services of right-arm speedster Yash Thakur, a three-season veteran already boasting the rare combination of a five-wicket haul and a sub-18 strike-rate. Across 21 bowling innings split between Lucknow Super Giants (2023-24) and now Punjab Kings, the 26-year-old has snapped 25 wickets while sending down 443 high-pressure deliveries. His 17.72 balls-per-wicket strike-rate sits among the quickest for any Indian seamer with 20-plus IPL wickets, while two three-wicket bursts and a solitary five-for underline his gift for breaking open games. Thakur’s most devastating spell came in the 2024 season when he tormented an opposition top-order with 5/30—figures that remain the joint-best by a LSG bowler in the tournament’s history. Despite bowling mostly in the powerplay and at the death, he has kept his economy within striking distance of 10.5 runs per over, illustrating both courage and control on batting-friendly tracks. Having already changed jerseys once—from Lucknow’s green to Punjab’s red—the Madhya Pradesh-born quick will look to add fresh chapters to his wicket tally in 2025, spearheading PBKS’s quest for a maiden IPL title.

Ajinkya Rahane IPL journey spans 17 seasons, 183 innings and a mountain of 5,032 runs that have come off 4,025 balls at a brisk strike-rate of 125. The Mumbai-born right-hander has punished bowlers for 514 fours and 123 sixes, crossing fifty 33 times and reaching three figures on two memorable occasions, the highest being an unbeaten 105. After stints with Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Rising Pune Supergiant, Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings, he is back with Kolkata Knight Riders for IPL 2025. While Rahane has rolled his arm over only once in the league, picking up a solitary wicket in a six-ball cameo that cost five runs, he remains celebrated as one of the league’s most technically sound and consistent top-order batsmen.

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