3 new rivalries growing in IPL 2025

Jasprit-Bumrah-and-Karun-Nair. (Photo source: X/Star Sports)

The Indian Premier League () 2025 got off to a fascinating start and is almost at the halfway mark. As seen in the past, this competition brings out the best in players. Sometimes, it can also bring out something otherwise as well.

This edition has seen a few confrontations, sledging, and rivalries stoking between players. It shows how desperately the players want their team to do well. In this article, we are taking a look at three new rivalries which have arisen in 18th season.

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3 new rivalries growing in IPL 2025 3. Karun Nair vs Jasprit Bumrah  Jasprit-Bumrah-and-Karun-Nair. (Photo source: X/Star Sports)

This incident occurred during the IPL 2025 match between the Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians on April 13. Making his IPL comeback after three years, Impact Player Karun Nair got off to a brilliant start with the bat, scoring three boundaries in a single over off Boult. The 33-year-old also hit a couple of sixes off Bumrah. While running between the wickets during his knock of 89 off 40 balls, Karun accidentally collided with Bumrah near the non-striker's end, leading to a visibly fired-up reaction from the star pacer. 

Bumrah was visibly agitated and reacted to this with a few words. Karun Nair apologized immediately and explained his case to Hardik Pandya at the end of the over. However, post-match, Bumrah and Nair were seen sharing a hug, indicating that they had moved on from the earlier confrontation. This on-field rivalry brought out the competitive spirit of the Indian Premier League and showed how much it meant for each player to win the game. Despite Karun Nair's heroics, it was the Mumbai Indians who came out on top, winning the game by 12 runs. 

2. Travis Head vs Glenn Maxwell Glenn-Maxwell-and-Travis-Head. (Photo source: X)

During the IPL 2025 match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings on April 12, Australian teammates Travis Head and Glenn Maxwell were involved in a heated on-field exchange. This happened in the ninth over of the Sunrisers Hyderabad innings, when Travis Head smashed two consecutive sixes off Glenn Maxwell. After those sixes, Head defended the next ball straight back to Maxwell, who collected it and threw it towards the wicket-keeper. This action led to a verbal confrontation between the two players, and Marcus Stoinis, who was playing for Punjab Kings, joined in to diffuse the tension. Later, the on-field umpires had to step in as well to cool the situation. 

When Head was asked about this after the match, he brushed it off, saying that it brings out the best in them and they know each other well, and it was nothing too serious and was just a bit of banter. Sunrisers managed to chase down a target of 246, making it the second-highest successful chase in the history of IPL. 

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1. KL Rahul's celebration after winning against RCB at Chinnaswamy Stadium KL Rahul. (Photo Source: Jio Hotstar)

KL Rahul is not known for wild celebrations and is usually very calm and shows very few reactions on the field. However, during the IPL match between Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru on April 10, KL Rahul led his team Delhi Capitals to a six-wicket win, scoring an unbeaten 93 runs off 53 balls. After hitting the winning shot, KL Rahul celebrated it by drawing a circle on the ground with his bat and planting the bat in it. This gesture went viral on social media among fans and also drew comments from Ian Bishop, who was commentating and said that this is his ground and he knows everything about it.

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In the post-match celebration, KL Rahul expressed his connection to his home ground, stating that " This is my ground, my home, I know this better than anyone else". His passionate celebrations even caught the eye of RCB players, as Tim David was seen recreating it later after the match. KL Rahul said in an interview later that his celebration was inspired by his favorite Kannada movie, Kantara.