“Priyansh Arya, I think, is a very special potential opening batsman for us going forward in the tournament,” Ricky Ponting, PBKS’s head coach, said at an event in New Chandigarh. “Depending on which way we go with our overseas make-up, he’s very exciting.”
Ponting’s words turned out to be prophetic as a couple of weeks later, Arya has aggregated 158 runs in the 2025 IPL so far, including a blistering 42-ball 103 in the just concluded game against CSK. His innings included no fewer than nine sixes. Incidentally, the southpaw cracked a six off the first ball of the match – A small back and across movement, before upper cutting Khaleel Ahmed over deep backward point.
Maybe it was the youthful exuberance that paved the way for Arya to play without fear. It was just his fourth game in the IPL and he didn’t have the weight of expectations to burden him. The opponents also wouldn’t have had enough data in relation to finding ways to dismiss him. Whatever it was, Arya had made his intentions clear while facing his first delivery.
By the completion of the Powerplay, Priyansh had accrued a fifty. And despite PBKS losing their way to find themselves in a spot of bother at 83 for 5, it didn’t stop him from looking for the big hits. In fact, at one point of time, the scorecard showed the following scores – 103, 0, 9, 4, 9, 1.
Arya’s innings also wasn’t just about slogging. Let’s transport ourselves back to the sixth over of PBKS’s innings to get a peek into his pyrotechnics. From round the wicket, the experienced R Ashwin had followed Arya all the way in an attempt to cramp up the batter for room. The southpaw, who had backed away, leaving all his three stumps, still managed to free his arms and swatted it wide of covers. On 80, the way he opened the bat face at the nth moment and carved out a low full toss from Matheesha Pathirana behind square on the off-side was also a stroke of pedigree.
So, that is in brief about Arya’s innings. But what is his background story? Has he played blazing knocks in the lower leagues too? Yes, he has. In a Delhi Premier League game versus North Delhi Strikers, he had smashed Manan Bhardwaj’s left-arm spin for six sixes in an over. Even when the spinner shifted to a round-the-wicket angle, Arya smacked him down the ground. Clean striking was once again the essence of his batsmanship.
PBKS vs CSK: Priyansh Arya – remember the name | IPL 2025 | Post-Match LIVE https://t.co/kFKD4bPG5Q
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) April 8, 2025
Arya’s exploits went far beyond DPL. He also was the top run-getter for Delhi in the 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with 325 runs and at a strike rate of 176.63. It included a quick-fire ton versus Uttar Pradesh. Even Tamil Nadu’s bowlers weren’t spared. Varun Chakaravarthy, the spearhead of the current Indian T20 side, was one of them. Arya swept and lofted Chakaravarthy in a single over. Eventually, the redoubtable spinner had the last laugh by dislodging him, but by then the left-hander had already amassed 81 off just 46 deliveries.
Despite all the praises, it is always better to throw in a word of caution. The same batter looked out of sorts while facing the express pace and movement of Jofra Archer. Although in Arya’s defence, he wouldn’t have faced bowling of such quality at lower levels of cricket. In the CSK-Punjab game, the Chennai side ended up giving three reprieves.
Just to think of it, Priyansh Arya went unsold at the 2024 IPL auction. But he used that setback as a motivating factor to upskill his game. Just four games into the 2025 IPL, he’s already making headlines. No fear, all flair.
Follow Revsportz for more updates
You might also be interested in
Priyansh Arya reminds us why the IPL is India’s greatest talent hunt
PBKS vs CSK: Ton-up Priyansh Arya Headlines PBKS’ Win Over CSK