Aussies abroad: Who's going to the IPL in 2025

The 18th edition of the IPL begins on March 22 (March 23, 1am AEDT) with the reigning champions Kolkata Knight Riders hosting Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the famous Eden Gardens.

There could be up to three Aussies featuring on opening night out of the 15 Australians taking part in the tournament all together. Punjab Kings, now led by Ricky Ponting, have the largest Aussie contingent with five players, while Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans have none.

Players made still be called up in the case of injuries, as was the case with Jake Fraser-McGurk last year.

Check out the 2025 IPL fixtures here.

The Aussies at IPL 2025

Pat Cummins - Sunrisers Hyderabad (A$3.7m)

The Australian captain was bought for big coin ahead of last season and his first year in charge of Sunrisers was a huge success for the franchise. Cummins showed his leadership skills by guiding his side into the final, which they ultimately lost to Kolkata. He was effective with the ball too, taking 18 wickets for the tournament, only six behind leader Harshal Patel. It was no surprise Hyderabad chose to retain Cummins and he will again lead the team in orange.

Josh Hazlewood - Royal Challengers Bengaluru (A$2.29m)

The big quick didn’t play at the last IPL due to the birth of his child but stormed back into the IPL stratosphere with a massive price tag at the auction. Hazlewood has played for RCB since 2022 after starting with Chennai Super Kings and his record for them is strong, with 23 wickets in 15 matches.

Mitch Starc - Delhi Capitals (A$2.15m)

After a slow start to IPL 2024 in which he was bought for a record fee (A$4.43m), Starc came to life at the business end, winning player-of-the-match awards in both the qualifying final and the final as Kolkata won the tournament. However, it wasn’t enough to see KKR retain the left-arm quick, with Delhi winning his services at the auction.

10:50 Play video Fast, full and swinging: Mitch Starc's best wickets in Aus

Marcus Stoinis - Punjab Kings (A$2m)

Stoinis was a star for Justin Langer's Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2024, hitting 388 runs at a strike-rate of 148 after starting the tournament at No.4 and then being promoted to No.3. Stoinis returns to Punjab, having played there between 2016 and 2018. It will be interesting to see how he is deployed under the leadership of Ricky Ponting, having batted all over the order during his T20 career.

Jake Fraser-McGurk - Delhi Capitals (A$1.65m)

You can't blame Delhi for going so hard at trying to win the services of Fraser-McGurk again, after his 10 matches as an injury replacement in IPL 2024 proved a boon for the franchise. Fraser-McGurk hit four 50s which included a breathtaking 84 off 27 balls against Jasprit Bumrah's Mumbai Indians - his strike-rate for the tournament was 234.04. He found the going tougher over the Australian summer, but finished a lean KFC Big Bash campaign with a blazing 95 off 46 for the Melbourne Renegades.

01:06 Play video 'Joined at the hip': Fraser-McGurk and Warner's tight bond

Travis Head - Sunrisers Hyderabad (A$1.2m)

After a multi-season break, Head returned to the IPL with Sunrisers in 2024 and put up some impressive numbers: 567 runs at 40.50 with a strike rate of 191.55. He and opening partner Abhishek Sharma dominated the Powerplay overs and that will no doubt be the plan once again. Like Cummins, Head was retained by the franchise, avoiding the most recent auction. He will be missing South Australia's Sheffield Shield final given the fixture clash.

01:23 Play video Head belts Curran for 30-run over to give Aussies flying start

Glenn Maxwell - Punjab Kings (A$770,000)

Like Stoinis, Maxwell returns to Punjab, although this will be his third stint at the Kings, playing 65 matches between 2014-2017 and in 2020. Maxwell's 2024 campaign with RCB was disastrous, scoring 52 runs in nine innings with four ducks. That brought his value right down, allowing the Kings to swoop. The Victorian had a fantastic BBL with the Stars, inspiring them to an unlikely finals spot with some spell-binding innings.

Mitch Marsh - Lucknow Super Giants (A$623,000)

There wasn't much to write home about for Marsh in IPL 2024 as he played only four games before injuring his hamstring. However, the Lucknow Super Giants have offered him a fresh start and they will be his sixth franchise, having already represented Deccan Chargers, Delhi Capitals, Pune Warriors, Rising Pune Super Giants and Sunrisers Hyderabad - three of those teams no longer exist. Marsh has missed a lot of recent cricket with a back injury so just how fit he is remains to be seen.

Tim David - Royal Challengers Bengaluru (A$547,000)

The Mumbai Indians finally let go of their man David with RCB happy to pounce during last year's auction. David has an epic record in the League, with a strike rate of 170 from 38 matches, although that was down slightly (159) last year. Since winning the BBL with Hobart Hurricanes, David has popped up in the UAE's ILT20 and Bangladesh's BPL.

03:09 Play video Power Surge wizard David goes large in BBL|14

Spencer Johnson - Kolkata Knight Riders (A$510,000)

Johnson's maiden foray into the IPL wasn't the happiest of returns, playing only five matches for Gujarat Titans after being bought for a whopping A$1.78m. That price tag has dropped significantly and he has a new home in Kolkata. Although he steps into the void at KKR left by Mitch Starc, Johnson will have to compete with some experienced internationals for game time, like Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Anrich Nortje, Moeen Ali, Quinton de Kock and Rovman Powell.

Josh Inglis - Punjab Kings (A$475,000)

The acquisition of versatile keeper-batter Inglis looks like a shrewd move by Ponting's Punjab, with Inglis enjoying an exceptional summer for Australia and Western Australia in all three formats. Although yet to play in the IPL, Inglis has a T20 international century to his name, hitting 103 off 49 against Scotland last September.

00:56 Play video Every six from Inglis' record-breaking T20 ton for Australia

Adam Zampa - Sunrisers Hyderabad (A$440,000)

Zampa has had a love-hate relationship with the IPL, often finding himself signed with strong sides (previously RCB, Rajasthan Royals and the now defunct Rising Pune SuperGiants) but regularly warming the bench instead of playing. The plethora of local spinners in India mean this is a common tale for overseas spinners in the league, as four international players is the maximum for each side in any given match. Zampa will be up against 25-year-old leg-spinner Rahul Chahar for game time in this squad, unless conditions suggest that they should play together, with no other front-line spinners in the group. Surely in Zampa's favour is the fact that the Sunrisers coach, Daniel Vettori, is also the bowling coach for Australia, for whom Zampa does his best work.

Nathan Ellis - Chennai Super Kings (A$365,000)

Ellis was a bargain-basement selection (A$135,000) for Punjab last season and that showed in his game time, managing only one match despite the Kings struggling on the field. The crafty seamer has enjoyed an excellent 12 months however, featuring at the T20 World Cup and captaining Hobart to the BBL title. You have to assume he'll see some more action at Stephen Fleming's CSK.

Aaron Hardie - Punjab Kings (A$228,000)

Another making their IPL debut, Hardie will be keen for some game time after a frustrating Champions Trophy saw him warming the bench for the entirety. There is no shortage of quality international allrounders at Punjab (Maxwell, Stoinis, South Africa's Marco Jansen, Afghanistan's Azmatullah Omarzai), so that wish might prove a challenge for the 25-year-old.

Xavier Bartlett - Punjab Kings (A$146,000)

Head coach Ponting will be hoping for a bit of value with his Bartlett selection, who has been a great performer for the Brisbane Heat in recent seasons. It's his first IPL contract and he is one of five Aussies at the Punjab Kings.

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