With major squad changes following the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction, the upcoming season is poised to witness significant shifts in batting lineups, particularly in the crucial opening partnerships. Apart from Delhi Capitals, defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders, and 2024 runners-up Sunrisers Hyderabad, all other franchises are likely to feature revamped opening pairs.
Openers are pivotal in the line-up as they often set the tone for the innings and play a vital role in their teams’ success. Their ability to anchor the innings or provide explosive starts frequently sees them top the run charts by season’s end.
Here’s a look at the potential opening combinations for each franchise in IPL 2025:
Chennai Super Kings
Chennai Super Kings are expected to feature captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, who was retained, alongside Devon Conway as openers in 2025, moving on from the Ruturaj-Rachin Ravindra pairing of the previous season. CSK bought Conway for Rs 6.25 crore in the auction.
Delhi Capitals
Delhi Capitals are likely to continue with Jake Fraser-McGurk and Abhishek Porel, who formed their reliable duo on the top in 2024. DC used the RTM to buy Jake in the auction, while Porel was retained.
Gujarat Titans
Gujarat Titans might showcase an exciting pairing of Jos Buttler and Shubman Gill, replacing the Sai Sudharsan-Gill combination from last season. GT bought the dynamic English top-order batter Buttler in the auction for Rs 15.75 crore.
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Kolkata Knight Riders
Kolkata Knight Riders appear set to retain Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Sunil Narine, who proved effective in their title-winning campaign. KKR had retained Narine before the auction and signed Gurbaz for base price Rs 2 crore in Jeddah.
Lucknow Super Giants
Lucknow Super Giants face the challenge of finding a new opening pair after letting go their openers from 2024 – KL Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal. After the auction, LSG have a few options for the opening slots. They can opt for the pairing of experience Aiden Markram and hard-hitting Abdul Samad next season. LSG bought Markram for Rs 2 crore and Samad for Rs 4.2 crore in the auction.
Mumbai Indians
Mumbai Indians, too, are searching for a partner for Rohit Sharma, who opened with Dewald Brevis in 2024. MI may opt for Will Jacks as the likely opening partner for Rohit after spending Rs 5.25 crore on the top-order batter in the auction.
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Punjab Kings
Punjab Kings are likely to rebuild their top order, with Prabhsimran Singh needing a new partner after opening with Atharva Taide or Jonny Bairstow last season. New bumper signing Shreyas Iyer can be Singh’s opening partner in the coming season. PBKS spent a whopping Rs 26.75 crore for Iyer in the auction.
Rajasthan Royals
Rajasthan Royals will also be looking for a partner for Yashasvi Jaiswal, following their experiments with Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Jos Buttler in 2024. New recruit Nitish Rana could be paired with Jaiswal in the top. RR spent Rs 4.2 crore to sign Rana in the auction.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Royal Challengers Bengaluru, meanwhile, must replace Faf du Plessis, who opened with Virat Kohli last season. Faf was picked up by DC in the auction. Phil Salt can come out as opener with Kohli next season after joining RCB for Rs 11.50 crore in the auction.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Sunrisers Hyderabad are among the few teams with stability at the top, expected to continue with Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head like last season. SRH have signed Ishan Kishan for Rs 11.25 crore int he auction and they can use him at top of the order too.
As teams finalise their strategies, the upcoming IPL season promises to showcase intriguing new partnerships, with openers poised to play decisive roles in shaping the tournament’s narrative.
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Stay updated with the latest from IPL Auction 2025, including the final squads of all 10 teams – MI, CSK, RCB, GT, RR, KKR, DC, PBKS, SRH, and LSG. Don’t miss the latest updates on our Live Cricket Score page.
