Vaibhav Arora

A right-arm medium-pacer known for his booming inswinger, Vaibhav Arora first made his mark in the IPL during KKR's title-winning season in 2024. He grabbed the rare opportunity of a regular spot with both hands and emerged as a potent weapon with the new ball, troubling batters early with his swing and accuracy.

Opportunities, however, didn’t come easy for Arora. Born in Ambala, he moved to Chandigarh to pursue his cricketing dream but nearly gave up on the sport after a series of setbacks. In 2017, he was involved in a road accident outside the PCA Stadium along with his friend Arshdeep Singh. While he recovered physically, professional disappointments followed as he failed to get a game for Punjab U-19 despite being selected multiple times. It took strong backing from his coach to keep him going, eventually leading to a life-changing move to Himachal Pradesh, where he made his first-class debut in 2019.

Arora made an immediate impact, picking up a match haul of 9/105 against Saurashtra, including the prized wicket of Cheteshwar Pujara with a classic inswinger. Two years later, he scripted history by becoming the first bowler to take a hat-trick on his List A debut.

He began his IPL journey as a net bowler with PBKS in 2020 before being picked by KKR in 2021, though he didn’t feature that season. PBKS signed him for INR 2 crore in 2022, where he made his IPL debut. He returned to KKR in 2023, playing a handful of games, before finally establishing himself in 2024 with consistent performances.

In IPL 2025, Vaibhav Arora built on that momentum and further cemented his role in KKR’s bowling unit. He was particularly effective in the powerplay, consistently providing early breakthroughs with his ability to swing the new ball both ways. His discipline in maintaining tight lines and lengths made him a reliable option for the captain and he also showed improvement at the death, executing yorkers and slower variations with greater control. While not always among the leading wicket-takers, his impact in setting the tone early in the innings proved invaluable for the team.

Arora is expected to be one of KKR’s primary new-ball bowlers in IPL 2026. The team will rely on him to strike early, contain opposition batters in the powerplay and complement the more experienced bowlers in the attack. If he continues to develop his variations and maintain consistency, Vaibhav Arora could evolve into one of the most dependable Indian seamers in the tournament and a key figure in KKR’s bowling strategy.