1. Rishabh Pant
The weight of being MS Dhoni's successor can bring anyone down, and not many young cricketers have to come into the set-up with such a massive baggage of expectations. Yet, 22-year-old Rishabh Pant finds himself under the daily scrutiny of 1.3 billion critics, with opinion sharply divided on whether or not he should represent the Men in Blue at the highest level.
Pant started the year strong, with an unbeaten 159 in Australia (thus becoming the first Indian wicketkeeper to score a Test century down under) and finishing as the second-highest run-scorer for India in the tournament. He followed that up with a below-average limited-overs leg against New Zealand and Australia, but immediately mesmerized everyone with a fantastic IPL.
Pant's IPL showing earned him a call-up to the World Cup squad in England (as an injury replacement for Shikhar Dhawan). There he found himself in decent flow, but failed to convert his starts - scoring 32, 48, 4 and 32 in four innings.
Pant's form has seen a drastic dip since, as he has managed only one 50+ score in 14 innings. His glove-work and use of DRS have come under frequent criticism as well.
With Dhoni yet to take a decision on his retirement, and Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan and K.S. Bharat breathing down his neck, this will be a make-or-break series for the Delhi Capitals stalwart in a bid to retain his limited-overs spot.
Follow IPL Auction 2025 Live Updates, News & Biddings at Sportskeeda. Get the fastest updates on Mega-Auction and cricket news