Xavier Bartlett in practice (Source: AP Photos)
In the match 31 of IPL 2025, Punjab Kings are up against KKR at their home turf. Shreyas Iyer has won the toss and has decided to bat first, and have made two changes in their XI. One of them is Xavier Bartlett coming in for Lockie Fergsuon who is nearly out of the tournament.
A Inspiring Journey From Adelaide To Punjab Via Gold Coast
Xavier Bartlett is a like-for-like replacement, and is a quality pacer. He is 26-year-old from Adelaide and represented Australia U19 during his younger days. A back stress hampered his progress, but has taken rapid strides in Australian cricket in recent times, and has emerged as a genuine wicket-taker.
He has played two ODIs and seven T20Is for Australia and has done well in them picking a combined of 11 wickets. He was bought for 80 Lakhs in the IPL 2025 mega auction, and is known for his ability to move the new ball. Though Bartlett was born in Adelaide, he moved to Gold Coast, and has been an important player for Queensland across formats.
In 64 T20s, he has 80 wickets at an economy rate of 8.37 and Punjab Kings will be hoping that he fills Lockie Ferguson's gap in the rest of the season. He has been impressive in the last two BBL seasons and has 32 wickets in just 20 matches, so it would be interesting to see how he goes about his business on IPL debut.
 "Aashay Chopade")
