Best playing XI with impact sub from IPL 2025 ft. Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav 

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) defeated Punjab Kings (PBKS) by six runs to clinch the IPL 2025 title, their first-ever championship in tournament history. The summit clash of the tournament was held on Tuesday, June 3, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

After opting to bowl first, Kyle Jamieson struck early for PBKS, removing Phil Salt for 16 off nine balls in the second over. Virat Kohli and Mayank Agarwal then put together a 38-run stand off 28 balls for the second wicket before Yuzvendra Chahal dismissed the latter for 24 off 18 deliveries. RCB skipper Rajat Patidar then accelerated the innings and chipped in with 26 off 16 balls.

However, Kohli was unable to convert his solid start into a big knock, falling for 43 off 35 balls. In the later stages, Liam Livingstone (25 off 15), Jitesh Sharma (24 off 10), and Romario Shepherd (17 off 9) made valuable contributions, helping RCB finish at 190/9 in their 20 overs. Arshdeep Singh and Jamieson were the standout bowlers for PBKS, picking up three wickets each.

In response, Punjab openers Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh gave their team a solid start, putting on 43 runs off 30 balls for the opening wicket before the former was dismissed for 24 off 19 deliveries by Josh Hazlewood.

Prabhsimran then partnered with Josh Inglis to add 29 runs off 21 balls for the second wicket. His innings came to an end when Krunal Pandya dismissed him for 26 off 22 deliveries. Inglis contributed a quickfire 39 runs from 23 deliveries, including one boundary and four sixes.

Skipper Shreyas Iyer had a disappointing outing, falling for just one off two balls, while Nehal Wadhera also struggled, managing only 15 off 18 deliveries.

In the later stages, Shashank Singh launched a counterattack, remaining unbeaten on 61 off 30 balls. However, his heroics weren’t enough, as Punjab finished at 184/7, falling short by six runs. RCB held their nerve to claim their maiden IPL title.

As IPL 2025 comes to a close, we take a look at the tournament's standout performers by selecting the best playing XI, including an impact substitute.

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Best playing XI with impact sub from IPL 2025

Top order: Sai Sudharsan, Virat Kohli, Nicholas Pooran (wk)

Opening the batting in our best playing XI of IPL 2025 are Sai Sudharsan of Gujarat Titans (GT) and Virat Kohli of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

Sai Sudharsan enjoyed a remarkable season with the bat, displaying impressive consistency at the top of the order. Although the Gujarat Titans’ campaign came to an end with a loss to the Mumbai Indians in the Eliminator, Sudharsan's impressive performances earned him the Orange Cap.

The elegant left-hander featured in 15 matches, scoring 759 runs at a superb average of 54.21 and a strike rate of 156.17. His tally included six half-centuries and one century, with a best of 108* off 61 balls against Delhi Capitals (DC).

On the other hand, Virat Kohli, a key figure in RCB’s title-winning campaign, once again rose to the occasion, amassing 657 runs in 15 innings at an impressive average of 54.75 and a strike rate of 144.71. He registered eight half-centuries and finished third on the Orange Cap leaderboard.

The explosive Nicholas Pooran slots in at No. 3 in our lineup. Although he experienced a slight dip in form midway through the season, the left-hander still made a significant impact overall. Pooran featured in 14 matches, scoring 524 runs at an impressive average of 43.66 and a blistering strike rate of 196.25. He registered five half-centuries and hammered 40 sixes, leaving a powerful mark on the tournament.

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Middle Order / All-Rounders: Shreyas Iyer (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Tim David

Shreyas Iyer slots in at No. 3 and will lead the side as captain. Although the 30-year-old had a disappointing outing in the final, he made a significant impact throughout the tournament. He played 17 matches, scoring 604 runs at an impressive average of 50.33 and a striking rate of 175.07, including six half-centuries.

MI's star batter Suryakumar Yadav was the epitome of consistency in the 2025 IPL. He scored 25 or more runs in all 16 matches he played, finishing the season with a remarkable 717 runs at an average of 65.18 and a strike rate of 167.91, including five half-centuries.

Suryakumar made history by becoming the first-ever MI batter to surpass 700 runs in a single IPL season, and also the first non-opener in tournament history to achieve this milestone.

Slotting in at No. 6 is MI skipper Hardik Pandya. The 31-year-old had a solid season as captain, leading his side to the playoffs. On a personal front, he contributed 224 runs in 12 innings at an impressive strike rate of 163.50.

With the ball, the premier all-rounder delivered key performances, picking up 14 wickets in 15 innings, including a standout spell of 5/36—his best figures of the season.

Filling the role of finisher in our best playing XI is RCB's hard-hitting batter, Tim David. The 29-year-old executed his role to perfection in the 12 matches he played before missing the latter part of the tournament due to a hamstring injury.

Despite limited opportunities, David made a strong impact, scoring 187 runs in nine innings at a remarkable average of 62.33 and an explosive strike rate of 185.14, which included one half-century.

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Bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Josh Hazlewood, Noor Ahmad, Prasidh Krishna

Another MI star to feature in our playing XI is ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah. Despite missing the first four matches due to a lower back injury, the 31-year-old made an immediate impact upon his return. Bumrah played 12 games, picking up 18 wickets at an average of 17.55 and maintaining an outstanding economy rate of 6.67.

Joining him in the pace attack is Gujarat Titans’ Prasidh Krishna, who had a phenomenal season with the ball and ended as the Purple Cap holder. The 29-year-old played a crucial role in helping GT reach the playoffs. He featured in 15 matches, claiming 25 wickets at an average of 19.52 and an economy of 8.27. His best figures of 4/41 came against the Delhi Capitals.

Another key member of the title-winning RCB squad, Josh Hazlewood, enjoyed an outstanding tournament. The Australian pacer featured in 12 matches, claiming 22 wickets at an impressive average of 17.54 and an economy rate of 8.77, finishing third on the Purple Cap leaderboard.

Chennai Super Kings’ young spinner Noor Ahmad leads the spin attack in our XI. While CSK endured a disappointing season, finishing at the bottom of the table, the 20-year-old emerged as one of their few standout performers. Noor delivered consistently impressive spells, picking up 24 wickets in 14 matches at a superb average of 17.00 and maintaining a solid economy rate of 8.16.

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Impact sub: Krunal Pandya

Krunal Pandya will serve as the impact substitute in our playing XI. The 34-year-old had limited opportunities with the bat this season, scoring 109 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 126.74. His standout performance came in the form of a brilliant unbeaten 73 against the Delhi Capitals.

He was even more impressive with the ball, particularly in the final, where he bowled a brilliant spell, taking two wickets for 17 runs in four overs. Throughout the tournament, he claimed 17 wickets at an average of 22.29 and an economy rate of 8.23, proving instrumental in RCB’s title triumph.