Former Indian opener Murali Vijay reckons Punjab Kings batter Priyansh Arya has the ability to become an all-format player for India. The left-hander scored 475 runs at 27.94 in 17 matches of IPL 2025 to have a dream start to his IPL career.
Furthermore, his thundering strike rate of 179.24 was the third-highest in the tournament (after Nicholas Pooran and Abhishek Sharma) for players with more than 300 runs. The left-hander scored a brilliant century against CSK in the previous season.
Arya also delivered while playing for Outer Delhi Warriors in DPL 2025, scoring 303 runs in eight matches at an average of 37.88 and a strike rate of 166.48.
Murali Vijay said on Star Sports, “Priyansh Arya seems to be a very interesting personality with a brilliant sense of timing. He has all the ingredients to become a great player. The ability to strike against spinners between overs 7 to 15 is very important. It’s the toughest phase to tackle in T20s, but Priyansh Arya does that well as a left-hander with the ability to access all areas. I believe he will play at several levels and has the ability to become an all-format player.”
He added, “His basics are so strong, and his balance is impeccable, which is why he is able to access both sides of the wicket. It helps him direct the good deliveries from bowlers to different parts of the ground. As he plays more matches, his flair and strengths will come out even more. It is important not to be harsh on such players.”
On the other hand, former Indian opener Sadagopan Ramesh concurred with Vijay, stating Arya has an X-factor in his batting as he can deliver in all phases of an innings.
“To be an X-factor player like Bumrah, you have to be useful to the side at all stages of a game. If you are only a phase-dependent player, then you are not an X-factor. That way, Priyansh Arya has shown the ability to play well in the powerplay, middle, and death overs. So he is automatically an X-factor,” said Ramesh (via the aforementioned source).
“Middle overs are the toughest for a batter, where their strike rates drop. But Priyansh Arya maintains the same tempo in the powerplay and the middle overs, which is the main reason why he can play the long innings. But this year is going to be another big challenge for him. Only if he performs well this year, he can enter that big zone. He has the talent but whether he has the consistency remains to be seen.”
Punjab Kings will begin their IPL 2026 campaign against the Gujarat Titans at Mullanpur on 31st March.
