The 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is in full swing, and fans have been treated to some breathtaking batting displays. While centuries often steal the headlines, it's the consistent flow of half-centuries that truly keeps a side’s momentum alive. This season, a handful of batters have been remarkably consistent, hammering opposition attacks and entertaining crowds across the country.
Let’s take a look at the top five players with the most fifties so far – the true run-machines of IPL 2025!
Mitchell Marsh has been nothing short of a revelation for the Lucknow Super Giants this season. Opening the innings, Marsh has unleashed an aggressive yet calculated approach, smashing four fifties in just five outings. With a thunderous strike rate of 180.27, the Australian all-rounder has been the backbone of Lucknow’s top order, taking bowlers apart with ease. His powerful stroke play and ability to dominate the powerplay have made him one of the tournament’s standout performers so far.
Teaming up with Marsh in Lucknow's batting powerhouse is Nicholas Pooran, the flamboyant West Indian wicketkeeper-batsman. Pooran has been in sensational form, striking the ball at a mind-boggling 225.00 strike rate. With three half-centuries to his name, Pooran has been the ultimate finisher, often turning matches on their head within a few overs. His fearless approach and ability to clear the ropes at will have made him a nightmare for bowlers at the death.
The young Sai Sudharsan has once again showcased why he is rated so highly in Indian cricket circles. Anchoring the innings for the Gujarat Titans, Sudharsan has been the epitome of composure and class. His three fifties this season have come at crucial junctures, allowing Gujarat to post and chase challenging totals. With a steady average of 54.60 and an impressive strike rate of 151.66, he has proved he can blend caution with aggression beautifully.
Punjab Kings may have had an up-and-down season so far, but one shining light has been Shreyas Iyer. In just four innings, Iyer has crafted two superb fifties, including a match-winning 97 not out. With an incredible average of 84.00 and a strike rate touching 200, Iyer has played the anchor and the aggressor role to perfection. His ability to accelerate at the right time and find boundaries consistently makes him a real asset for Punjab.
When it comes to consistency, very few can match Virat Kohli’s record, and he is proving it once again in IPL 2025. With two fifties in four matches, Kohli has been at the heart of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s batting line-up. His elegant drives, sharp singles, and smart strike rotation have been a treat to watch. Averaging 54.66 and striking at 143.86, Kohli continues to show that class is permanent.
More to come
With so many dynamic batters setting the stage alight, the race for the Orange Cap is heating up fast. Whether it’s Marsh’s power-hitting, Pooran’s flair, or Kohli’s timeless elegance, the IPL 2025 has already given fans much to cheer about – and the best is surely yet to come!
KL RAHUL scored a century in the second unofficial Test against England Lions, offering some clarity to India’s top-order plans ahead of the five-match Test series in England.
Rahul, opening alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, made an unbeaten 116 on Friday in Northampton. He batted on a lively pitch under overcast skies without offering any chances.
India are currently without experienced batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who both retired from Test cricket last month. The team, now led by Shubman Gill, is looking to rebuild its top order.
Rahul, who has experience batting across the order, is seen as a likely option to partner Jaiswal at the top. Gill or Karun Nair could be considered for the No. 4 position previously held by Kohli.
Nair, who last played a Test in 2017, made a double hundred in the first unofficial Test in Canterbury.
“We haven't really decided on the (batting order), we still have some time,” Gill had said at his pre-departure press conference in Mumbai.
“We will be playing an intra-squad match and we will be having a 10-day camp in London. So we still have a little bit of time and I think we can decide on the batting order once we go there.”
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Jos Buttler raises his bat as he walks to the pavilion after losing his wicket, LBW bowled by West Indies' Alzarri Joseph. Reuters/Lee Smith
FORMER captain Jos Buttler scored a superb 96 off 59 balls, and Liam Dawson took four wickets on his international return, as England beat West Indies by 21 runs in the T20 series opener at Durham's Riverside ground on Friday (6).
After making a 3-0 winning start to Harry Brook's captaincy in the one-dayers, England kept the momentum in the shorter format with an innings of 188-6 after winning the toss and batting first.
West Indies finished on 167-9, with Romario Shepherd caught on the final ball of the match.
Buttler, in at number three with England 16-1 after Ben Duckett was caught by West Indies captain Shai Hope off Shepherd, brought up his half century from 25 balls in the eighth over.
He had earlier smashed three sixes and scooped a four from the first four balls of a devastating sixth over with Alzarri Joseph bowling.
The 34-year-old, who stepped down as white-ball captain last February following England's group-stage exit from the Champions Trophy, continued to look like a man relieved of a heavy burden as he hit six fours and four sixes.
Needing just four for the century, he was out lbw to Joseph in the penultimate over.
The tally was Buttler's highest T20 international score on home soil.
West Indies were 33-2 off 5.2 overs after losing Johnson Charles for 18, stumped by Buttler off Dawson, and Hope caught by Duckett, who repaid his own dismissal in like-for-like fashion, for three off debutant Matthew Potts.
England restricted the visitors to 44-2 at the end of the powerplay, compared to 78-1 at the same stage of the home innings.
Evin Lewis hit West Indies top score of 39 off 23 balls, before being caught by Brydon Carse with Jacob Bethell bowling.
Dawson, back in the side at 35 and playing his first England match since 2022, claimed his second and third wickets when Duckett caught Sherfane Rutherford (2) and Roston Chase (24) in quick succession.
The left-arm spinner wrapped up with a fourth wicket, for 20 runs from his four overs, by bowling Rovman Powell as West Indies slipped to 115-6 on a tough night in the north-east.
"I feel really good. Really pleased to contribute to a really good win," said Dawson after being declared player-of-the-match.
"When you get 190 on the board, you can go out there and simplify everything. You can bowl defensively and they've got to come to you. Tonight, it worked.
"It's been maybe three-and-a-half years since I played. I was nervous going into the game but I'm happy to contribute."
Hope said his side had not bowled as well as they had wanted to and needed also to perform better with the bat.
"We've got to put this behind us and we've got two games to win the series," he said.
(Reuters)
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FILE PHOTO: Piyush Chawla. (Photo by INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP via Getty Images)
VETERAN leg-spinner Piyush Chawla, who played key roles in India's 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup victories, announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on Friday (6) after more than two decades in the sport.
The 36-year-old made the announcement through an Instagram post, describing his decision as the end of an "incredible journey" while hinting at a new unspecified venture ahead.
"After more than two decades on the field, the time has come to bid adieu to the beautiful game," Chawla wrote. "Though I step away from the crease, cricket will always live within me. I now look forward to embarking on a new journey, carrying with me the spirit and lessons of this beautiful game."
Chawla represented India across all three formats, playing three Tests, 25 ODIs and seven T20 internationals, claiming 43 wickets in total. However, his most memorable contributions came as part of India's World Cup-winning squads in 2007 and 2011.
"From representing India at the highest level to being part of the victorious 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup squads, every moment in this incredible journey has been nothing short of a blessing," he said. "These memories will forever remain etched in my heart."
The spinner enjoyed particular success in the Indian Premier League, playing for four franchises during his career - Punjab Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians. He was part of KKR's 2014 IPL championship team and famously hit the winning runs in the final against Punjab Kings in Bengaluru.
Chawla paid tribute to the IPL franchises who showed faith in him, describing the tournament as "a truly special chapter in my career". He also thanked his coaches, particularly K.K. Gautam and the late Pankaj Saraswat, for nurturing his development.
The Uttar Pradesh player burst onto the cricket scene as a teenager, making his competitive debut at just 15 and his first-class debut at 17. He gained national attention when he bowled out batting legend Sachin Tendulkar with a googly during the Challenger Series in 2005-06.
In domestic cricket, Chawla accumulated over 1,000 wickets across all formats, representing India Under-19 and Uttar Pradesh Under-22 teams during his early career.
"Today is a deeply emotional day for me as I officially announce my retirement from all forms of international and domestic cricket," he said, paying special tribute to his late father. "A special mention to my late father, whose belief in me lit the path I walked. Without him, this journey would never have been possible."
(PTI)
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Tendulkar is the highest run-scorer in Test history with 15,921 runs, while Anderson is England’s all-time leading wicket-taker.
INDIA and England will play their upcoming five-Test series in the UK for a new trophy named after Sachin Tendulkar and James Anderson.
According to a report by the BBC, the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy will be unveiled ahead of the series, which begins at Headingley on June 20. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) declined to comment, the report added.
Earlier, Test series between the two sides in England were played for the Pataudi Trophy, named after Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi and his son, Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi.
In March, the ECB informed the Pataudi family of its intention to retire the trophy.
Tendulkar is the highest run-scorer in Test history with 15,921 runs. The 52-year-old played 200 Tests between 1989 and 2013 and holds numerous records in both Tests and ODIs.
Anderson is England’s all-time leading wicket-taker and the most successful pace bowler in Test cricket with 704 wickets.
Since retiring from international cricket last summer, the 42-year-old Anderson has worked as England’s bowling consultant and currently plays county cricket for Lancashire, having signed a contract extension recently.
Tendulkar and Anderson played against each other in 14 Tests. Anderson dismissed Tendulkar nine times — the most by any bowler.
England are the current and final holders of the Pataudi Trophy, having retained it with a 2-2 draw in the series held across 2021 and 2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The move to rename the trophy follows a similar initiative by England and New Zealand, who last year introduced the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy, named after Martin Crowe and Graham Thorpe.
(With inputs from PTI)
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England's Ben Stokes with teammates. Reuters/Peter Cziborra
ENGLAND have named a 14-player squad for the first match of the Rothesay Test Series against India, which is set to begin on June 20 at Headingley in Leeds.
Ben Stokes will lead the squad as captain and Surrey bowling all-rounder Jamie Overton returns to the Test line-up for the first time since earning his sole cap against New Zealand at Headingley in June 2022.
The 31-year-old is still under close medical review after breaking his right little finger during the first One-Day International against the West Indies at Edgbaston last week.
Overton, who scored 97 against New Zealand, could strengthen the lower order batting with Atkinson missing and Chris Woakes still proving his fitness.
Woakes, 36, has been delayed by a bone stress reaction in his ankle and needs to demonstrate his readiness in Friday's (6) England Lions match against India A at Northampton. Having played just one county match for Warwickshire, his participation remains uncertain. He could edge out Sam Cook, who retains his place in the squad after a quiet debut against Zimbabwe.
England's Jamie Overton celebrates after taking the wicket of West Indies' Gudakesh Motie. Reuters/Andrew Boyers
Brydon Carse returns after recovering from a toe injury, adding to England's seam bowling options alongside retained duo Sam Cook and Josh Tongue. Matthew Potts has been overlooked entirely, meaning five seamers will compete for three spots in the final XI.
Jacob Bethell returns to the squad after missing the Zimbabwe Test due to Indian Premier League commitments. The 21-year-old left-hander impressed during England's winter tour of New Zealand, scoring three fifties after his surprise promotion to the crucial position.
However, Ollie Pope's sparkling 171 against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge has complicated matters. Captain Ben Stokes had previously backed his vice-captain, dismissing criticism as a "media agenda" following Pope's century. Selector Luke Wright offered no guarantees about Pope keeping the spot, admitting Bethell was "very close" to selection.
Another development concerns Jofra Archer's potential return to Test cricket. The Sussex seamer, who hasn't played first-class cricket since 2021 due to various injuries, is being lined up for the second Test at Edgbaston next month.
Archer will play a County Championship match for Sussex against Durham on June 23, which begins during the first Test. If he proves his fitness, the 30-year-old could make his Test comeback at Birmingham, providing a significant boost to England's bowling attack.
"Like anything with all these bowlers, he's got to keep ticking things off every day with no setbacks," said Wright. "But if all goes well and he gets through that Durham game, then he's available potentially for selection for that second Test."
England are managing several injury concerns, with Mark Wood and Olly Stone expected to miss the entire series. Captain Stokes has abandoned plans to play for the Lions after successfully returning to bowling following hamstring surgery earlier this year.
Surrey's Gus Atkinson was ruled out of selection due to a hamstring injury sustained during the one-off Test against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge last month.
England will play five Test matches against India over the next couple of months, finishing on August 4 at the Kia Oval in London.
SQUAD: Ben Stokes (capt), Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wkt), Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes.