Explosive England opener Ben Duckett didn’t find any buyer in the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction but the dynamic left-handed batter could have been a perfect fit in some of the teams who lack explosiveness at the top of the order.

Given how the T20 format has gone about in the recent past, batters who can utilise the fielding restrictions in the first six overs are in high demand.

Duckett, who has become a permanent feature of the England Test side, hasn’t quite managed to seal his spot in the T20 squad but showed glimpses of what he is capable of, during the third T20I against England in Rajkot. He was ultra-aggressive in his approach and put the Indian bowlers under pressure right from the outset.

His early onslaught helped England post a competitive score, which turned out to be a match-winning one in the end. Duckett is someone who can pick on any bowler and we have seen that time and again in the longest format of the game. He has a wide repertoire of shots up his sleeve and could make an impression in the IPL as well.

Duckett is expected to play a massive role for England in the fourth and the fifth T20I against India and his explosive starts will be necessary if England are to come from behind and win their first series against India after losing the last four. If he does show consistency, Duckett still has a chance of getting into the IPL as a replacement player.

With that, let us have a look at three teams where Ben Duckett would have been the perfect fit in IPL 2025:

# 1. Punjab Kings

Duckett could have been a perfect fit for the Punjab Kings in the upcoming season of the IPL. We have seen Prabhsimran Singh weaving his magic at the top of the order with his explosive batting. However, they don’t have a regular opener barring Prabhsimran and might be forced to open with Marcus Stoinis.

Ben Duckett’s ability to make the powerplay count could have worked in favour of Punjab who are yet to win an IPL title till now. In the previous IPL, we saw how the SRH opening duo of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma tormented the opposition bowlers with their fireworks in the powerplay.

Had Punjab not allowed Duckett to remain unsold in the IPL auction, the duo of Prabhsimran and the southpaw could have emulated a similar role and significantly impacted Punjab’s change of fortunes. If there is any injury ahead of the tournament, PBKS might be tempted to buy Duckett.

# 2. Lucknow Super Giants

Ben Duckett remained unsold in the 2025 IPL auction which was held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in November 2024. The primary reason was that he’s yet to establish himself in the T20 format.

However, the third T20I in Rajkot has opened up the possibility of his inclusion as a replacement. The Lucknow Super Giants could have been a perfect team for the southpaw as they hope to build a strong side for the future.

LSG doesn’t seem to have a proper opening combination and Duckett could have fitted in perfectly. The hard-hitting southpaw is someone who can make a massive difference in the powerplay and the relatively new franchise could be looking towards him as a possible replacement in case of an injury.

# 3. Chennai Super Kings

Duckett could have fitted in the Chennai Super Kings franchise as well and could eventually be a possible replacement for them if their regular opener Devon Conway is ruled out of the tournament. The latter suffered a blow to his forearm while playing for the Jo’burg Super Kings in the SA20 and was in immense pain.

Hopefully, he recovers in time but if he does miss out atleast for the first few games, CSK could look at Ben Duckett as a possible replacement.

While Ruturaj Gaikwad and Conway are from a similar mould of batsmanship, the inclusion of Duckett at the top of the order could add some different dynamics for the five-time champions.

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Edited by Vaishnavi Iyer