In a tournament often dominated by power hitters and eye-catching strike rates, the real architects of pressure are often the bowlers who consistently bowl dot balls. These seemingly quiet deliveries that don’t fetch runs are turning into one of the most decisive factors in IPL 2025. A bowler who can tie down a batter and force them into taking risks is often the unsung hero behind a breakthrough.

Dot balls build pressure and tension not only on batters but also in the team's dugout. They frustrate batters, force errors, and can change the momentum of a game without the glamour of a wicket. This season, several bowlers have made it a habit to deny runs with unwavering discipline, turning dot balls into a powerful tactical weapon. From seamers swinging the new ball to spinners choking the middle overs, each has brought their style of control.

At the top of this elite list stands Khaleel Ahmed, who has bowled the most dot balls so far, 78 in 7 innings for the Chennai Super Kings. His consistency in the power play and ability to close out innings without leaking runs have made him a standout performer. Let’s dive deeper into the top 10 dot-ball masters of IPL 2025 and explore how each has impacted their team’s campaign so far.

See Also : Ben Cutting revisits 2016 IPL final glory with SRH

1. Khaleel Ahmed (CSK) – 78 Dots in 7 Innings

Chennai Super Kings’ left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed has been in impressive form throughout IPL 2025, consistently delivering impactful spells in both the powerplay and death overs. Over the course of 7 matches, Khaleel has bowled 27 overs and claimed 11 wickets at an average of 22.09. While his economy rate stands at a slightly expensive 9.00, his ability to build pressure with dot balls has been outstanding. The left-arm pacer has bowled 78 dot balls so far, playing a vital role in CSK’s bowling success and helping the team maintain control against opposition batters in key moments of the game.

2. Mohammed Siraj (GT) – 73 Dots in 6 Innings

Mohammed Siraj's switch to the Gujarat Titans has proven to be a masterstroke this IPL season. Delivering 73 dot balls in just 24 overs, he has consistently applied pressure on the opposition, striking every 14.4 deliveries. His disciplined line and length have helped him maintain an impressive bowling average of 20.40. The highlight of his season so far includes a crucial four-wicket haul, underlining how sustained pressure through dot balls can lead to breakthroughs. Siraj’s form has been instrumental in tightening the screws during crucial phases, making him a valuable asset for the Titans this year.

3. Varun Chakravarthy (KKR) – 70 Dots in 7 Innings

Kolkata Knight Riders’ mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy has been a standout performer this season, consistently keeping batters on their toes. With 70 dot balls in his spell so far, he has maintained an excellent economy rate of just 6.22, making it difficult for opposition teams to build momentum. Varun has also picked up 10 crucial wickets at an impressive average of 16.80, often breaking key partnerships and shifting the game's momentum. His ability to control the flow of runs while striking regularly has made him a vital cog in KKR’s bowling unit.

4. Prasidh Krishna (GT) – 65 Dots in 6 Innings

Prasidh Krishna has emerged as a valuable asset for the Gujarat Titans, combining raw pace with impressive accuracy. In 6 matches, he has bowled 23 overs, conceding just 138 runs and picking up 10 wickets at an outstanding average of 16.00. He has delivered 65 dot balls, effectively building pressure on opposing batters. His impressive strike rate of 13.8 reflects his ability to strike at regular intervals. Prasidh’s consistency in hitting the right lengths and disrupting partnerships has made him a potent weapon in Gujarat’s bowling attack, crucial in maintaining control and creating wicket-taking opportunities.

5. Harshit Rana (KKR) – 64 Dots in 7 Innings

Harshit Rana has emerged as one of the standout performers this season, combining aggression with consistency. In 7 matches, he has bowled 23 overs, conceding just 138 runs and picking up 10 crucial wickets at an impressive average of 20.30. With 64 dot balls to his name, Harshit has played a vital role in maintaining pressure on opposition batters. His strike rate of 13.8 and economy rate of 6.00 underline his efficiency, making him Kolkata Knight Riders’ go-to bowler in high-pressure moments.

Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium (Lucknow) will host the 30th match of the IPL 2025, Lucknow Super Giants vs Chennai Super Kings (LSG vs CSK) on Monday evening (April 14). Before this fixture, let's check its Dream11 top captains and vice-captains. 

IPL 2025, Match 30: LSG vs CSK Probable XIs

Lucknow Super Giants Predicted Playing XI: Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (Captain and wk), Ayush Badoni/Shamar Joseph (Impact Subs), David Miller, Abdul Samad, Shardul Thakur, Avesh Khan, Akash Deep, Digvesh Rathi, Ravi Bishnoi

Chennai Super Kings Predicted Playing XI: Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway/Khaleel Ahmed (Impact Player Sub), Rahul Tripathi/Deepak Hooda, Vijay Shankar, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (Captain and wk), Ravichandran Ashwin/Anshul Kamboj, Matheesha Pathirana, Noor Ahmad, Kamlesh Nagarkoti

See Also: Lucknow Super Giants vs Chennai Super Kings (LSG vs CSK): Match 30, IPL 2025, Match Preview

IPL 2025, Match 30: LSG vs CSK Dream11 Top Captains And Vice-captains

Top 3 Dream11 Captain choices

Nicholas Pooran: Orange Cap holder Nicholas Pooran is in great batting form as he has scored 349 runs in six innings with an average of 69.80 and a strike rate of 215.43, including four half-centuries. His scores in this tournament are 75, 70, 44, 12, 87*, and 61 runs, respectively. 

Shardul Thakur: Shardul Thakur is the second most wicket-taker in the IPL 2025. The right-arm pacer took 11 wickets in six games, including one four-fer, which was also his best bowling figures in his IPL career (4/34).

Khaleel Ahmed: CSK left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed has taken 10 wickets in six matches. He has started this IPL season impressively. 

Top 3 Dream11 Vice-captain choices

Aiden Markram: Aiden Markram is returning to form strongly as he scored 45+ scores in the last three innings (53, 47, and 58 runs). He has scored 202 runs in six innings with an average of 33.66 and a strike rate of 153.03, including two half-centuries. 

Noor Ahmad: CSK Afghan left-arm wrist spinner Noor Ahmad is holding the IPL 2025 Purple Cap with 12 wickets in six matches. Although Lucknow isn't a spin bowling-friendly venue, the in-form spinner still has to play a key role for his struggling team.  

Vijay Shankar: All-rounder Vijay Shankar is a big hope for CSK to turn around the situation. During the match against Delhi Capitals, while CSK were struggling at 74/5 in their chase of 184 runs, Vijay scored a fighting 69 off 54 balls. Also, in their last game against Kolkata Knight Riders, while CSK scored 103/9, Vijay's 29-run knock was the second-highest score for his team. 

IPL 2025  is coming with another exciting contest between Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals both teams have a rich history of having good competition with each other. It can be clearly depicted with the head-to-head count where the last 30 matches of these teams have mostly been won by Chennai Super Kings who are leading the chart with 19 wins against the Capitals and D too not far behind they too have clinched 11 victories against the Kings. 
Though Chennai leads the victory margin the current scenario is really against them and the game they are playing is really an outdated one type. Delhi's current form is just amazing with the available resources they clinching the way hard and finding new stars out of it. That's why they are second on the points table. Axar Patel the captain is leading the team in the best way possible. Whereas in Chennai it is looking completely contrast their batting seems the very first issue. Either they play too slow or they lose wickets early which puts them in a difficult position. It's going to be 4th game of CSK and they have to find the rhythm back until it's too late.

Read More: IPL 2025: Delhi Capitals Playing 11 vs Chennai Super Kings

Some players can change the course of the match on their own somewhat some players can create a major effect and contribute to their team in the best way possible. 

1. Mitchell Starc
 The left-arm Australian pace bowler is just an ace card for Delhi Capitals who is been on the wicket tally every time the two games he has played have been really spot on. In the first match against Lucknow, he opened his account with three wickets. In the next game against Sunrises Hyderabad, he took fifer and became the Purple Cap holder raising the highest wicket-taker in the league. Though Starc may not be with the same pace in recent times he is still effective and can be a huge threat to Chennai Super Kings who are tracking a way to win the game. 

Read More: IPL 2025: Chennai Super Kings Playing 11 vs Delhi Capitals
2. Khaleel Ahmad
 Khaleel Ahmad has been a lucky triumph card for Chennai Super Kings who had delivered great in these three matches. In his first match against Mumbai Indians, he took three wickets and in his next match against Banglore, he took 2 wickets and against Rajasthan, he took 1 wicket, where he is third highest wicket-taker in the league with Shardul Thakur where both of them have taken 6 wickets. 
3. Faf Du Plessis
Faf Du Plessis looks in good touch with the bat in this IPL he has given a great start to the team in these two matches he scored 30 runs against Lucknow and a wonderful 50 against Hyderabad, he is been a delicate player over the years when he was belonged to Super Kings too where things have been changed for him now. But the contribution is as slaying as it was earlier. 

Khaleel Ahmed, IPL 2025: Once badly reputed for inconsistency, Khaleel Ahmed, arguably at his career-best form, is taking wicket after wicket and chasing the purple cap in the IPL 2025. Khaleel Ahmed, now with 6 wickets in total with his name, took 2 wickets against Rajasthan Royals last night in the form of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jofra Archer. With these couple of wickets, Ahmed is now in third place, just behind Delhi Capitals Mitchell Starc (8 wickets) and Chennai Super Kings' Noor Ahmed (9 wickets).

Read More: MI vs KKR: Sunil Narine's underwhelming performance vs Mumbai Indians in last 5 matches

Khaleel Ahmed's current form begins after a fine performance in the Ranji Trophy, where he took wickets in a regular manner for team Rajasthan. In the last 5 matches, Khaleel has taken 17 wickets for his respective teams. He took 2 against Rajasthan Royals, 1 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and 3 against Mumbai Indians—6 IPL 2025 in total.

Before the beginning of the ongoing Indian Premier League, the pace bowler had a significant domestic season for Rajasthan. He claimed a total of 5 wickets against Andhra Pradesh and 6 against Vidarbha. So, in his last 5 matches, Ahmed added 17 wickets to his name. Silently but steadily, the 27-year-old left-arm pace bowler is rejuvenating his performance by adopting the pitch conditions and bowling according to the batsman. His ability to swing the ball has created a lot of attention nowadays.

According to ESPNcricinfo, Khaleel Ahmed has played 60 IPL matches so far to take 80 wickets. So far, his best IPL season was back in 2024, where he grabbed 17 wickets in 14 matches for the Delhi Capitals, with an economy rate of 9.58; in this season he has bowled with an economy rate a little below 8, which is his best economy rate so far in his IPL career. For CSK, Khaleel Ahmed is now not only taking wickets but also putting pressure on batsmen to play risky shots to rotate the strike rate, and then Ahmed strikes.

The 11th match of the IPL 2025 has been scheduled for Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings (RR vs CSK), which will be played at Barsapara Cricket Stadium (Guwahati) on Sunday night (March 30). Here, we are going through the top captains and vice-captains options for the Dream11 of the match. 

IPL 2025, Match 11: RR vs CSK Probable XIs

Rajasthan Royals Predicted Playing 11: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson/Fazalhaq Farooqi (Impact Sub), Riyan Parag (Captain), Nitish Rana, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Shubham Dubey, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Sandeep Sharma, Tushar Deshpande

Chennai Super Kings Predicted Playing 11: Rachin Ravindra, Ruturaj Gaikwad (Captain), Rahul Tripathi/Khaleel Ahmed (Impact Player Sub), Vijay Shankar, Shivam Dube, Sam Curran/Devon Conway, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Matheesha Pathirana, Noor Ahmad

See Also: IPL 2025: RR vs. CSK- A head-to-head breakdown

IPL 2025, Match 11: RR vs CSK Dream11 Top Captains And Vice-captains

Top 3 Captain choices

Rachin Ravindra: New Zealand cricketer Rachin Ravindra is in dream form with the bat, as he has started the IPL 2025 with scores of 65 not out and 41 runs. Although he hasn't been used as a bowler in this IPL season yet, he can be effective in a left-arm spin bowling role. 

Sanju Samson: Sanju Samson started the IPL 2025 with his 66 off 37 balls (seven fours and four sixes) against SunRisers Hyderabad, while chasing 287 runs. Although he scored 13 runs in the next game, he is now a better consistent performer with the bat. 

Noor Ahmad: The Afghan left-arm wrist spinner Noor Ahmad has started the IPL 2025 season strongly by picking up seven wickets. After recording a four-fer against Mumbai Indians in their first game of the IPL 2025, where the youngster also won the Player of the Match award, he also took three wickets against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their next game. 

Top 3 Vice-captain choices

Shimron Hetmyer: West Indies cricketer Shimron Hetmyer is a dangerous batter in T20 cricket. He started the IPL 2025 with a cameo of 42 off just 23 balls (one four and four sixes) against SRH, while they were already out in the 287-run target battle, and then Hetmyer scored seven runs in their next game against the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders. 

Khaleel Ahmed: The left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed has impressed in the early stages of the IPL 2025. After providing a good start against Mumbai Indians in their season opener, as Khaleel picked up three wickets in that match, he was disciplined in the next game against RCB with the bowling figures of 4-0-28-1. 

Wanindu Hasaranga: Sri Lankan cricketer Wanindu Hasaranga is an asset for any team, as his spin-bowling inspires his team, and his batting plays a crucial role in the team's innings. Hasaranga appeared in the second game against KKR, where he had the bowling figures of 3-0-34-1 after scoring four runs. 

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is famous for its intense competition, and the recent Chennai Super Kings (CSK)–Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) match turned out to be one of the dramatic moments people will remember. A video that showed Virat Kohli and Khaleel Ahmed having an intense discussion after the game went viral, and it immediately sparked a heated debate among fans.

Following the game full of action, the team players exchanged handshakes, but there was a heated confrontation between RCB's Virat Kohli and CSK's Khaleel Ahmed. The footage of the players also indicates that Kohli was very angry, and Khaleel also responded with the same intensity. The confrontation escalated for unknown reasons, which led them to be separated for things not to get worse.

Also Read: Charcha with Rohit Sharma: A candid chat with the Hitman

What Led to the Argument?

Multiple versions made the rounds of what might have instigated the conflict between the two, those being the constant banter and scuffle on the field. Kohli, who is generally known to be aggressive on the field, has been involved in similar incidents before; hence, this is portrayed as only one more occasion in his passionate cricketing career. On the other hand, Khaleel may have triggered the fight by using certain words.

Kohli mere bacche shant hoja 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/yGITzOsOXr

— n (@humsuffer_) March 29, 2025

Also Read: IPL 2025: Chennai Super Kings vs. Royal Challengers Bengaluru Highlights

The video was shared far and wide, with different people dropping varied opinions. A section of the fans was on Kohli's side, stating that such anger was okay, whereas others were critical of both players, resulting in a scenario where there was a lot of trolling, posting of pictures, and giving several thoughts on the incident on Twitter and Instagram.

A small heat up between Kohli and khaleel ahmed after the match 💀 pic.twitter.com/ai9FOo23AF

— arku. (@worshipping_45) March 29, 2025

The authorities of IPL, who are always keeping a close watch on such incidents, are the ones who will decide whether any steps are to be taken to curb such unseemly on-field behavior. As of now, both Kohli and Khaleel are yet to communicate any official statements, and the fans are eagerly waiting for that and, at the same moment, to know whether the matter will continue to be a rivalry in the upcoming matches.

RCB vs CSK: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Chennai Super Kings: battle of two fierce rivals. Things were getting more heated when these two teams faced off against each other at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on March 28 (Friday) evening. From ball one, cricketers from both teams were looking in a mood to overtake each other with style.

Khaleel Ahmed almost took the wicket of Phil Salt, missing the edge from the blade by only some inches. The new ball swung away from the right-handed English batter. Salt, who misjudged the ball, swung the bat without any result but produced some raw emotions from Khaleel Ahmed, Ahmed knows it was very close.

 The 27-year-old right-arm fast bowler takes a few more steps for a little chat with Salt. Both the bowler and the batter had some exchange of words—Ahmed with an intense look and Salt with a smile. Ahmed did not manage to get the Phil Salt wicket. It was Noor Ahmed who dismissed the dangerous T20 batter with the help of MS Dhoni, who, again, smartly took the bails off from the wicket.

 Despite missing a chance to score a half century, Salt did his job by scoring 32 runs off 16 balls, at a strike rate of 200.00; an over boundary and five boundaries came off from his bat. On the other end of the wicket, Virat Kohli was there when Phil Salt and Khaleel Ahmed were engaged in that intense moment. A video of this moment is already on the internet; take a look-

pic.twitter.com/BezQ3VJPOp

— Drizzyat12Kennyat8 (@45kennyat7PM) March 28, 2025

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We are ready for the Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (CSK vs RCB) match, which is the eighth match of the IPL 2025 and will be played on Friday evening (March 28) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai. Here, we are going through the top favourite names for the captain and vice-captain of Dream11 for the match. 

IPL 2025, Match 8: CSK vs RCB Probable XIs

Chennai Super Kings Predicted Playing 11: Rachin Ravindra, Ruturaj Gaikwad (Captain), Rahul Tripathi/Khaleel Ahmed (Impact Player Sub), Deepak Hooda, Shivam Dube, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Nathan Ellis, Noor Ahmad

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Predicted Playing 11: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar (Captain), Devdutt Padikkal/Suyash Sharma (Impact Player Sub), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Rasikh Salam/Swapnil Singh, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal 

See Also: RCB’s Last Win vs CSK in Chepauk: World was Different in 2008

IPL 2025, Match 8: CSK vs RCB Dream11 Top Captains And Vice-captains

Top 3 Captain's choices

Rachin Ravindra: New Zealand cricketer Rachin Ravindra is in great form with the bat. While CSK had a tricky chase of 156 runs against Mumbai Indians in their IPL 2025 opener, Ravindra scored 65 not out off 45 balls with two fours and four sixes, as CSK managed to chase the target despite losing wickets at regular intervals. His spin bowling is also an asset for his team.  

Krunal Pandya: While RCB managed a solid start in the IPL 2025 with a seven-wicket thrashing win against the hosts and defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Krunal Pandya was the main character why RCB return to the game and never lost the plot since then. The left-arm spinner maintained tight lines in the IPL 2025 opener as he dismissed set captain Ajinkya Rahane (56), Venkatesh Iyer (6), and Rinku Singh (12). He had the bowling figures of 4-0-29-3 as he won the Player of the Match award. In Chennai, he can play another crucial role for his team with the ball. 

Virat Kohli: Former RCB captain Virat Kohli is now in great form with the bat in white-ball cricket. The leading run-scorer in IPL history started the IPL 2025 in familiar style as his powerful 59 not out off 36 balls (four fours and three sixes) had an important role in the successful 175-run chase. 

Top 3 Vice-captain's choices

Noor Ahmad: The Afghan spinner Noor Ahmad was the hero for CSK in their first game of the IPL 2025, where they beat Mumbai Indians by four wickets with five balls to spare. While they restricted MI to 155/9 in 20 overs, Noor had the bowling figures of 4-0-18-4, as he dismissed Suryakumar Yadav (29), Robin Minz (3), Tilak Varma (31), and Naman Dhit (17). 

Khaleel Ahmed: While Noor Ahmed was the Player of the Match for CSK in their IPL 2025 opener, the left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed set the tone for that with his two wickets in the powerplay. In his first two overs, Khaleel dismissed Rohit Sharma (0) and Ryan Rickelton (0). Later, in the slog overs, he dismissed Trent Boult (1) and finished with the bowling figures of 4-0-29-3. 

Ravindra Jadeja: Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is always a key name in any format of cricket as he is a rare asset for any team. In Chennai, his left-arm spin bowling is key, while the left-handed batter can also play crucial cameos. In their first IPL 2025 match against Mumbai Indians, while Jadeja controlled with the bowling figures of 3-0-21-0, he came at a crucial time in the batting and set up the match-saver 36-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Rachin Ravindra before the Indian cricketer was run out for 17 runs.