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The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 is all set to kickstart on March 22 and will run until May 25 across 13 venues in the country. The defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will play the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the opening clash of the season at the Eden Gardens.
With batters going overboard with their innovations and fearless mindset, the bowlers will have to catch-up using their variations and control of line-lengths. In particular, the pace battery of every team needs to be on their toes to keep the opposition batters quiet and secure consistent breakthroughs.
On that note, let's rank the sides with the best pace bowling attack ahead of the 2025 season of the cash-rich league.
#5 Kolkata Knight Riders
Key pacers: Harshit Rana, Andre Russell, Anrich Nortje, Spencer Johnson
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The Knight Riders will have Harshit Rana as the leader of the bowling attack in IPL 2025. Rana played a key role in the side's title victory last year, picking up 19 wickets in 13 games. In recent months, he has also performed well in international cricket across all formats.
Andre Russell also played a crucial role with the ball in IPL 2024 for KKR. He scalped 19 wickets, while proving his skills in the death overs, including figures of 3/19 in the final.
Among other Indian speedsters, Vaibhav Arora and Umran Malik could make a strong statement with their performances. Anrich Nortje and Spencer Johnson are other experienced pacers, who will stake a claim for the second overseas seamer in the XI.
#4 Sunrisers Hyderabad
Key pacers: Pat Cummins, Mohammed Shami, Harshal Patel
The SunRisers Hyderabad rank fourth on the list due to their experienced pace-bowling attack. Although captain Pat Cummins is coming off an injury, he was impressive with 18 wickets to take the franchise to the final.
Further, the team will be boosted by the inclusion of Mohammed Shami and Harshal Patel. Shami is heading into the season with fine performances in the Champions Trophy, while Harshal was the Purple Cap holder last season with 24 scalps.
Meanwhile, the all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy could also roll over his arms, while Jaydev Unadkat brings an added experience to the squad.
#3 Delhi Capitals
Key pacers: T. Natarajan, Mitchell Starc, Mukesh Kumar
T. Natarajan will be crucial to the Delhi Capitals' (DC) prospects in IPL 2025. The left-arm pacer was the finest bowler for SRH last year with 19 wickets and will look to continue the same form.
Meanwhile, Mitchell Starc will be fresh after playing his last competitive game on February 6. Starc finished with 17 wickets in 14 appearances for KKR last year, while finishing with figures of 2/14 in the final.
Mukesh Kumar was the joint-highest wicket-taker for DC with 17 wickets in IPL 2024. With a strong domestic form and familiarity with the team management, Mukesh is a key player for the franchise.
The experienced pacers Mohit Sharma and Dushmantha Chameera will also be part of the DC squad this year.
#2 Mumbai Indians
Key pacers: Jasprit Bumrah (doubtful), Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar, Hardik Pandya, Reece Topley
The Mumbai Indians (MI) have an impressive pace bowling arsenal for the IPL 2025 season. However, ace fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is still recovering from his back injury, and his participation in the first few games is doubtful. Nevertheless, MI have other bowlers, who can contribute to the team in the absence of Bumrah.
Trent Boult has been one of the finest pacers in recent years in the cash-rich league. In the last three-year cycle, he picked 45 wickets for the Rajasthan Royals. Meanwhile, Boult finished with 25 wickets to help MI win the IPL title in the 2020 season.
Although Deepak Chahar had a disappointing IPL 2024 season, he bagged 13 wickets in 10 games for the Chennai Super Kings to help them secure a title in 2023.
Captain Hardik Pandya will be another key pacer for MI, as they look to reclaim their lost glory. Meanwhile, England international Reece Topley will also hope to leave a mark in IPL 2025, if provided an opportunity.
#1 Gujarat Titans
Key pacers: Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Ishant Sharma
The Gujarat Titans (GT) have the best pace bowling attack in IPL 2025 due to them having good experience in the shortest format. South Africa's Kagiso Rabada has been a credible performer in the IPL with 117 wickets in 80 appearances. He will lead the pace battery of the franchise, with an ability to take wickets with the new and the old ball.
Mohammed Siraj has impressed with his rhythm with the new ball, especially in the last two IPL seasons. During this period, he has bagged 33 wickets for RCB and would look to perform the same role for GT as well.
Prasidh Krishna will make a comeback to the IPL after three years. In IPL 2022, he bagged 19 wickets to help RR emerge as the runner-up. The right-arm pacer has done well in the domestic circuit of late, and picked up six wickets in his only appearance for India in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Ishant Sharma did well for the Capitals in the last two seasons, picking up 20 wickets in 17 games. The veteran pacer looked in fine form in the white-ball domestic tournaments and would look to perform well for GT in IPL 2025.
Gerald Coetzee and Kulwant Khejroliya are other pacers who can be the surprise performers for the Titans.
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