The IPL 2025 will end on June 3, 2025 when Royal Challengers Bengaluru face the Punjab Kings for a chance to clinch this season’s title. Ten (10) franchises sought the title when matches kicked off in April; however, only two teams stand as a testament to the resolve of their squads all season.
Other franchises failed to make a mark this season due to poor performances from their top players. Many marquee signings cost franchises hundreds of crores but failed to justify their mammoth price tags. Let’s check out the top IPL 2025 flop playing XI and how these players failed to make a lasting impression this season.
1. Glenn Maxwell (Punjab Kings)
Matches Played: 7 | Total Runs: 48 | Batting Average: 8.00 |
Strike Rate: 97.7 | Wickets: 4 | Bowling Economy: 8.46
Maxwell was an obvious let-down this season as fans complained about his terrible showing across games he played in. The Punjab Kings may have made it to the IPL final, but they don’t have Maxwell to thank for achieving this feat.
The Aussie all-rounder has failed to deliver when it matters most across matches, leaving other players to step up on several occasions.
The final against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on June 3, 2025 gives Maxwell another opportunity to rewrite this horror season as “The Big Show” fans have tagged him in previous seasons.
2. Jake Fraser-McGurk (Delhi Capitals)
Matches Played: 6 | Total Runs: 55 | Batting Average: 9.16
Previous records from Jake’s performances in franchise cricket was all the Delhi Capitals needed to sign him up ahead of IPL 2025. However, the youngster failed to deliver on several occasions before getting fewer chances to represent Delhi’s franchise this season.
McGurk could only deliver 55 runs after 6 matches and fell short of meaningful contributions his side needed to progress in this competition.
3. Rahul Tripathi (Chennai Super Kings)
Matches Played: 5 | Total Runs: 55 | Batting Average: 11.00
MS Dhoni’s dream of retirement after an IPL trophy in 2025 will not happen, and fans blame several players in the Super Kings squad for this mishap. One of such players is CSK batter Rahul Tripathi. The star batter could deliver no more than 55 runs in 5 matches (11.0 average), a contribution that ruined several games for his franchise this season.
4. Rishabh Pant (c) (Lucknow Super Giants)
Matches Played: 14 | Total Runs: 269 | Batting Average: 24.45
Paying ₹27 crore for a cricketer will not seem like a great idea to franchises after the Rishabh Pant experience. The Lucknow Super Giants let go of several players including their former skipper to make room for expensive stars like Pant.
However, Pant struggled for most games this season and could only manage 269 runs from 14 games after commanding such a weighty price tag.
5. Shimron Hetmyer (Rajasthan Royals)
Team: Rajasthan Royals
Matches Played: 14 | Runs: 239
Hetmyer scored 239 runs in 14 games, but his input was well short of what the Royals needed to achieve a stellar season. Fans expected the star batter to put up a great showing this season, but it was not to be as his side crashed out of contention before the playoffs.
6. Rahul Tewatia (Gujarat Titans)
Matches Played: 15 | Runs: 99 | Wickets: 0
The Gujarat Titans could not progress to the IPL final this season, but put up a decent performance overall. However, fans can’t say the same for Rahul Tewatia.
The bowling all-rounder was out of position for much of this season and could only contribute with the bat. Tewatia’s 99 runs were not enough to contribute significantly to the Titans’ progress as they crashed out during a playoff encounter.
7. Ravichandran Ashwin (Chennai Super Kings)
Matches Played: 9 | Wickets: 7
The Super Kings expected Ravichandran Ashwin to deliver multiple wickets in high-stakes games to boost their charge for a sixth title. However, the Chennai franchise finished this season rock bottom with Ashwin and his teammates failing to show up to the party.
8. Mohammed Shami (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
Matches Played: 9 | Wickets: 6
Shami could not lift the Sunrisers to back-to-back IPL finals after they failed to win the 2024 edition. 6 wickets in 9 matches were not enough to secure his side a place in this season’s playoffs.
9. Tushar Deshpande (Rajasthan Royals)
Matches Played: 9 | Wickets: 10
The Royals were all set to make a charge for the playoffs when IPL 2025 began; however, they could not maintain the momentum when it mattered. Cricketers like Tushar Deshpande could not deliver performances required to place the Royals as contenders for this season’s title.
10. Liam Livingstone (Royal Challengers Bengaluru)
Matches Played: 9 | Total Runs: 87 | Batting Average: 14.50 | Wickets: 2
All eyes will be on Liam Livingstone as RCB attempts to secure their first-ever IPL title on June 3. The cricketer has not delivered up to expectations with just 87 runs and 2 wickets to his name after 9 matches.
11. Venkatesh Iyer (Kolkata Knight Riders)
Matches Played: 7 | Total Runs: 142
Venkatesh Iyer cost the Knight Riders around ₹25 crore at auction, but failed to deliver match-winning performances all season. His confidence dipped sharply mid-season, and he couldn’t make a difference as the Kolkata franchises failed to defend their 2024 crown.
