Vaibhav Suryavanshi plays a shot during the Asian Cricket Council Under-19 Asia Cup final between India and Pakistan at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Photo: AP Vaibhav Suryavanshi plays a shot during the Asian Cricket Council Under-19 Asia Cup final between India and Pakistan at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Photo: AP It is that time of the year again! The biggest and most prestigious T20 league of the world is set to get underway at the historical Eden Gardens from the 22nd of March.
The IPL has unleashed some phenomenal talent since its inception in 2008 and the 18th edition promises to be no different. Who will be the stars this season? Who are the newcomers who are likely to have a big impact on the tournament.
3headsetpgWe explore.
1. MATTHEW BREETZKE – LUCKNOW SUPER GIANTS
South African wicket-keeper batter, Matthew Breetzke showed his prowess with the bat in the tri-series in Pakistan in February when he smashed a magnificent 150 off just 148 deliveries on ODI debut in Lahore. Breetzke is highly rated in the South African circles and was the third-highest run-getter of the 2024 edition of the SA T20 where he aggregated 416 runs in 13 innings for Durban Super Giants. He was also the leading scorer for Northants in the 2024 Vitality Blast where he hammered 460 runs at a strike rate of 153.84.
Breetzke is a powerful striker with a scoring rate of 141 against pace in T20 cricket. He is known to handle pressure well and excel in tough situations.
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Kamindu Mendis had a great start to his Test career becoming the fourth-fastest ever to 1000 runs in the format. The Sri Lankan left-hander hasn’t been able to replicate his red-ball form in white-ball cricket but will be a vital addition to the SRH contingent. What makes Mendis a potentially high-impact player in T20 cricket though are his all-round abilities. He can bowl traditional off-spin while also chip in with left-arm orthodox.
Mendis was in good form for Kandy Falcons in the 2024 Lanka Premier League where he smashed 286 runs in just nine innings at a strike rate of 157 including three fifties.
3. VAIBHAV SURYAVANSHI – RAJASTHAN ROYALS
Vaibhav Suryavanshi entered the record books when he was bought by Rajasthan Royals for INR 1.1 crore at the 2025 IPL Auction in Jeddah in November. Suryavanshi is hailed as a child prodigy and rose to limelight when he piled on 393 runs in five matches for Bihar in the 2023 Vinoo Mankad Trophy – his exploits including one hundred and three fifties.
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Suryavanshi smacked a brilliant 104 off just 62 deliveries in India U-19’s two-wicket win in the first unofficial Test against Australia U-19 in Chennai in September. His 58-ball ton was the fastest by an Indian batter in Youth Tests and the second-fastest ever in the world! Suryavanshi blasted a match-winning 67 off just 36 deliveries in the semi-final of the U-19 Asia Cup against Sri Lanka in Sharjah in December.
4. BEVON JACOBS – MUMBAI INDIANS
New Zealand’s latest T20 batting sensation will be seen rubbing shoulders with the likes of Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah this season in the IPL. Another product of the brilliant scouting programme of Mumbai Indians, Jacobs hogged the limelight in the 2023-23 season of the Super Smash,ijogo when he hammered 134 runs at a strike rate of 188.7 for Canterbury. Batting in the lower-order, Jacobs stood out for his clean striking in the death overs. He continued in the same vein in the last season of New Zealand’s premier domestic T20 competition, smashing 263 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 140.6. Jacobs was the top-scorer for Auckland.
Jacobs has an aggregate of 423 runs in 17 innings at an average of 32 and strike rate of 148.4 in all T20 cricket.He has a scoring rate of 180 in the death overs.
5. ARYAN JUYAL – LUCKNOW SUPER GIANTS
Moradabad-born, wicket-keeper batter, Aryan Juyal was bought by Lucknow Super Giants for INR 30 Lakh at the 2025 IPL Auction in Jeddah. The 23-year old has an impressive record in first-class cricket with an aggregate of 1769 runs in 27 matches at an average of almost 50 including seven hundreds.
Juyal also had fine numbers in List A cricket with 1511 runs at an average of 47.2. Captaining Uttar Pradesh in the Ranji Trophypimentapg, Juyal piled on a magnificent 200 against Bihar in January and followed that with another ton against Madhya Pradesh. Juyal was also the top-scorer for Uttar Pradesh in the Vijay Hazare Trophy last season and also gave a good account of himself in the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament – India’s premier domestic T20 competition – where he scored 220 runs at a strike rate of 142.