The curtains were drawn on IPL 2025 on the night of 3rd June. The extended season came to a close, not least after crafting several glorious and memorable moments for everyone involved. Whether it was the players, franchise owners, loyal fan bases, or viewers, all stakeholders had a great time, and numerous milestones were unlocked throughout its entire journey. The campaign, which began in March, ran until early June and is now a source of nostalgic awe. This season had a pause in its latter stages due to the geopolitical issues between India and Pakistan, but there was no let-up in the intensity of performances. 

The prestigious tournament was set for a first-time winner. Just three franchises that featured in the inaugural edition remained trophyless before the 2025 final. Two of them, Rajat Patidar-led Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Shreyas Iyer's Punjab Kings (PBKS), faced off in the title decider, hoping to break that jinx. However, it was the RCB and their most loyal talisman, Virat Kohli, who ended their 18-year-long wait for the IPL silverware, etching their names in cricketing folklore and enabling millions of fans to rejoice. Had Iyer triumphed, he would have won the cup twice in succession, and as the skipper. Having led the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to glory in 2024, the stylish player became the only skipper to spearhead three franchises to an IPL final. The Delhi Capitals (DC) were the first team in that streak. 

Several highlights were created over the season, and there were facts in figures. As it drew to a close, here are some numbers that encapsulate this year's tournament. Statistics don't lie, and a certain set of trends worked, while others didn't. However it was, the 18th season of the IPL was a record-breaking one, and its 74 matches narrated tales that have become the talking points for years to come. Here is a detailed look at the 'Roll of Honour'. 

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RCB's Success Mantra

The key to RCB making it to the playoffs and then laying hands on the trophy was their record-equalling nine wins on the road. They matched the number of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) who achieved it in 2014. Incidentally, KKR were also the champions that year. In a strange scenario, RCB failed to win even once at their home den of the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru and giving up on the fortress stature for the season. However, they managed to claim victories in all their away games, matching an unprecedented record held by their rivals for eleven years. 

The Jostle for 200 Runs with a Uniform Surge in Scoring Phases

IPL 2025 saw the most 200-plus scores. In 74 matches throughout the season, there were 52 instances of teams posting 200 or more runs on the scoreboard. Sides jostled to pile on the runs, and thus the surge in batting strike-rates left its mark. The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) were the clear leaders with seven 200-plus totals, including the top three - 286/6 against the Rajasthan Royals (RR), 278/3 against the KKR, and 247/2 against the PBKS. The previous record of double-ton team scores was 41 in the 2024 season.

Since 2021, the scoring run rates have gone up in all the phases (Powerplay, Middle, and Death). Teams start more aggressively, show greater intent in the middle, and finish with higher impact. In the league stage, sides crossed 75 runs or more in the first six overs 14 times this season. 

Raining Boundaries - Fours and Sixes

No boundary is long enough for T20 cricket's powerful batters, and if it is in the arc, then it is out of the park. This edition of the IPL saw 1294 sixes hit over 74 matches, the highest in the tournament's history. The previous highest was 1260 in 2024. The Lucknow Super Giants' (LSG) Nicholas Pooran hit the most sixes (40) of any batter this year. Also, 2245 fours were hit this season, which is also a record. The previous highest was 2174 fours struck in 2023. The Gujarat Titans' (GT) Sai Sudarshan, also the orange cap holder for the most runs (759), won the award for hitting the maximum number of fours (88) among all players this year.

The Milestone Moments - Fifties and Partnerships

Batters held center stage, and there were 143 individual fifties smashed, an IPL record, bettering the 141 fifty-plus scores in 2023. RCB's maestro Virat Kohli hit 8 fifties, the most by any player this season. The quickest to this milestone was again RCB's Caribbean all-rounder, Romario Shepherd, in 14 balls. This year also saw 178 partnerships of fifty runs or more, the highest in an IPL season. The previous best was 169 in 2023. 

There was a prolific explosion of left-handed batters this term. Left became right and soared. Players like Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Priyansh Arya, and Nicholas Pooran did the bulk of the scoring and maximised powerplay impact under the field restrictions. With the highest of strike rates, they converted starts into fifties and hundreds.

The Maverick Abhishek Sharma

The SRH opener Abhishek Sharma's 141-run innings against the PBKS, in a successful chase of 246 runs, in Hyderabad, was the highest individual score by an Indian in IPL history. He bettered the record of 132 runs - an unbeaten innings by KL Rahul of PBKS in 2020. With batters to have exceeded 250 runs for the season, the star left-hander was third on the highest strike rate list. He scored at a rate of 193.39, amassing 28 sixes in total.   

The Super Punjab Kings

The PBKS defended a target of 112 runs against the KKR at Mullanpur (the former's home) this season. This was a record as it became the lowest target defended in an IPL match. The previous low was 117 runs by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) against the then Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in Durban, South Africa, in 2009.

Opting to bat, the PBKS bundled out for a paltry score of 111 runs, even though they had begun well courtesy of their openers, Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya. However, while bowling, they pulled off a heist and successfully defended their score. The spin wizard Yuzvendra Chahal and the tall and lanky Proteas pacer Marco Jansen combined to scalp 7 wickets. Their miraculous feats enabled the home side to restrict their opposition to just 95, winning by 16 runs and setting a new record in the IPL's history. 

Vaibhav Suryavanshi - The Prodigy with Youthful Energy

Vaibhav Suryavanshi of the RR became the youngest player to debut in the IPL. Moreover, he also became the youngest batter to score a T20 hundred. He achieved this landmark at the age of just 14 years and 32 days. He smashed 101 runs off 38 balls in their match against GT in Jaipur. Going bonkers, he took the attack to the opposition and affirmed his cricketing prodigy status. This was also marked as the fastest century of the season, in just 35 balls. 

The India Under-19 opener bettered the record of the Maharashtra batter Vijay Zol, who hit a T20 century against Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) when he was 18 years and 118 days old in 2013. Vaibhav won the Super Striker award for the season, having the highest scoring rates among all the batters, and producing his tally of runs at a lethal strike rate of 206.55.

The Green Initiative - A New for the Season

The IPL, this season, introduced an award for the most dot balls bowled by a bowler. It was an environment-friendly and sustainable initiative, collaborated between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the title sponsors TATA Group. Each dot ball was equivalent to 18 trees planted, commemorating the 18th season, and was recognised as a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) task. 

Although GT's Prasidh Krishna won the purple cap for taking the most wickets (25) across the tournament, it was Mohammad Siraj from the same team who bowled the maximum number of dot balls of any bowler this season. He delivered 151 of those balls, winning the 'Green Dot Balls' award and helping plant saplings in multiples of eighteen.