Best overseas playing 11 with Impact Sub from IPL 2025 ft. Nicholas Pooran, Josh Hazlewood 

The 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) saw history being created on Tuesday, June 3, as the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) lifted their maiden title. They beat the Punjab Kings (PBKS) by six runs in the final at a jam-packed Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

After a fascinating two-and-a-half-month battle, we finally had a new winner. Two of the best sides qualified for the final, and the better team on the day held their nerves and took the trophy home.

The overseas players have played a pivotal role in helping their teams win matches. While only four teams qualify for the playoffs, the foreign players from the other six teams didn't leave any opportunity to make their presence felt, and they performed admirably consistently.

Let's look at the best overseas XI from IPL 2025:

Openers- Phil Salt and Mitchell Marsh (IPL 2025)

One of the most aggressive batters in the powerplay, Phil Salt, was the linchpin for RCB during the majority of the IPL 2025 campaign. He couldn't convert his starts consistently.

However, the breezy cameos in the powerplay made a massive difference, unlike the previous years. It also allowed Virat Kohli to play the role of an anchor. Salt scored 403 runs in 13 matches at a strike rate of 175.98 with four half-centuries.

Marsh scored 627 runs in IPL 2025- Source: Getty

Mitchell Marsh played his first match in the IPL way back in 2010 for the Deccan Chargers Hyderabad, but in 15 years, he could never really cement his place on one side, having played for six teams.

In 2025, he found a perfect home in the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and had a season to remember with the bat. Opening the batting, Marsh scored 627 runs in 13 matches at an average of 48.23 and a strike rate of 163.70, with a century and six fifties.

Middle order and all-rounders- Jos Buttler, Nicholas Pooran, Heinrich Klaasen, Tim David, Mitchell Santner

Buttler played a stellar role for the Gujarat Titans. Source: Getty

Buttler had another consistent run with the bat for the Gujarat Titans (GT), but had to leave ahead of the playoffs due to national commitments. He batted at No. 3, as Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan opened the innings.

However, the wicketkeeper-batter didn't disappoint in his new batting position. He was at his aggressive best, scoring 538 runs in 14 matches at an average of 59.78 and a strike rate of 163.03, with five fifties to his name.

If Pooran had continued the way he had started the tournament, he may have broken every record this season. However, his performances tapered off considerably after the first half of the tournament, which coincided with LSG's slump.

The southpaw scored 524 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 196.25. He also struck 40 sixes in the tournament, the most by any batter. Heinrich Klaasen, too, had a stop-start tournament, but he was the most consistent batter for the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the recently concluded season.

Klaasen celebrates scoring his century against KKR. Source: Getty

The power hitter scored 487 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 172.69. Barring the solitary century and a half-century, he couldn't quite convert his starts into significant scores, which was one of the reasons behind SRH’s below-par performance in the IPL 2025 season.

RCB found an able finisher in Tim David, who played a few blistering cameos for the franchise. He faced just 101 deliveries in the tournament, scoring 187 runs at an average of 62.33 and a strike rate of 185.14. He missed out on the last few matches due to injury, but that didn't deter RCB from lifting the title.

Mitchell Santner has been in the form of his life recently, and he weaved his magic for the Mumbai Indians (MI) from time to time during the IPL 2025. On spin-friendly conditions, he was unplayable and made tough work for the opposition batters. It was one of his deliveries against Karun Nair during a group game against the Delhi Capitals (DC) that revived MI’s campaign and helped them get into a six-win juggernaut.

Bowlers- Noor Ahmad, Eshan Malinga, Trent Boult, Josh Hazlewood

The left-arm wrist spinner from Afghanistan was one of the few bright spots for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in an otherwise disappointing campaign, which saw them finish last. Noor Ahmad came into his own right from match one, and there was no stopping him.

He was all over the opposition batters but didn't get enough support from the other end. He bagged 24 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 17 and an economy rate of 8.16, with two four-wicket hauls.

The emergence of Eshan Malinga was a huge positive for the SunRisers Hyderabad, as the Sri Lankan speedster proved his worth with the ball at crucial junctures.

He didn't play the majority of the tournament, but when he did, he was always among the wickets. Malinga took 13 wickets in seven matches at an average of 18.30 and an economy rate of 8.92. His accurate yorkers and dipping slower deliveries were the highlights of his campaign.

Boult bagged 22 wickets in the tournament for MI. Source: Getty

Despite retiring from international cricket, Trent Boult continues to dominate the leagues around the world. The left-arm swing bowler is a champion with the new ball and yet again showed his prowess in the powerplay for MI in IPL 2025.

He also bowled well in the death overs. Boult finished the campaign with 22 wickets in 16 matches at an average of 23.50.

RCB's Josh Hazlewood was the standout fast bowler of the tournament, and had he not missed out on a few matches towards the end, he may well have walked away with the Purple Cap.

He stuck to his strengths, which is to bowl the hard lengths, and was a consistent wicket-taker for RCB. He bagged 22 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 17.54 and an economy rate of 8.77.

Impact Sub- Ryan Rickelton

Before leaving for national commitments, Rickelton, along with Rohit Sharma, forged a terrific opening combination for MI in IPL 2025. Playing in his maiden IPL season, Rickelton displayed his class and was never overawed by the magnitude of the tournament.

He provided the much-needed starts for MI for the majority of the tournament, scoring 388 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 150.97.