West Indies cricketers have often produced match-winning performances in the IPL. Yet the most recent season saw generally modest contributions from the Caribbean players.
Jason Holder stood out as the top West Indian performer. The 34-year-old took 17 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 17.05 and an economy of 7.56.
His selection instead of New Zealand all-rounder Glenn Phillips helped turn around Gujarat Titans’ season. Holder, acquired for 7 crore rupees, justified the team’s trust through effective seam bowling and sharp fielding.
Nicholas Pooran remained quiet for much of the campaign, and by the time he found form it was too late for Lucknow Super Giants. He finished with 234 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 127.86.
Kolkata Knight Riders’ Rovman Powell scored 190 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 134.75.
Sherfane Rutherford was expected to deliver strongly after joining Mumbai Indians from Gujarat Titans for 2.6 crore rupees. However, the left-hander showed little consistency in the middle order. He managed 123 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 164, with an unbeaten 71 against Royal Challengers Bangalore as his best effort in a defeat.
Romario Shepherd had a quiet season with Royal Challengers Bangalore. He scored just 83 runs in seven innings with a highest score of 23 not out. Shepherd claimed seven wickets with his medium pace across 15 games.
Shimron Hetmyer, retained by Rajasthan Royals for 11 crore rupees ahead of IPL 2025, struggled to make an impact. The left-hander scored only 78 runs in seven innings with a highest score of 22 and a strike rate of 113.04.
Kolkata Knight Riders’ Sunil Narine was highly economical with the ball. The off-spinner took 15 wickets in 13 matches at an economy of 6.64. He batted just four times for 40 runs, compared with 246 runs from 12 innings the previous season.
Left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein showed inconsistent form in limited chances with Chennai Super Kings. He took eight wickets in seven matches at an economy of 8.02, with figures of four for 17 against Mumbai Indians as his standout performance.
Overall, the Caribbean players’ contributions fell short of expectations. Franchise owners and supporters will hope for stronger results in future editions.
