The time has come for the 18th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to start on March 22, 2025. The Eden Gardens, Kolkata, will host the first game of the season which will be played between the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Like always, the season will be filled with excitement and thrilling games all the way up to May's end. Fans are eagerly waiting to see their favourite players in action for two months straight. Advertisment There are a lot of new faces in the tournament, which will make the contest even more interesting. However, the contesting games and the verbal banter on the pitches will make the league exciting. Notably, the upcoming IPL season is extremely crucial for a few players like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Sanju Samson, and Ishan Kishan, who are looking to strengthen their places on the Indian team. What does the future hold for Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Sanju Samson, and Ishan Kishan? Let's start with the vice-captain of the ODI team, Shubman Gill. The 25-year-old cricketer has played in 21 T20I and scored 578 runs at an average of 30.42. Undoubtedly, he is a talented batter but hasn't been consistent in the format. He has amassed 133 runs in his last eight innings and was also omitted from the T20 World Cup squad. If he has to make his way into the Indian team, his performance in the IPL will be extremely crucial. Ruturaj Gaikwad, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain, was dropped from the T20I team out of nowhere. He has played in 23 games and scored 633 runs, at an average of 39.56. In the last seven T20I innings, he amassed 207 runs at an average of 41.4 with a high score of 77. When he was dropped from the team, he was in the 7th rank of the ICC Men's T20I Rankings 2024. The selectors didn't give any specific reasons behind dropping the player. Hence, in order to make his way back into the Indian team, Gaikwad has to have a wonderful season this year. Well, Sanju Samson is one of the openers in the current T20I team for India. He scored three centuries, one against Bangladesh and two against South Africa. However, his performance wasn't good against England in 2025. The Board will surely keep an eye on the player's performance. In 42 games, he has scored 861 runs at an average of 25.32. His stats might not look pleasing but his performance in the past is the main reason he is still in the team. To keep his position intact, the IPL will be a way out. Also Read: Eden Gardens gears up for a musical extravaganza with Shreya Ghoshal, Disha Patani, and Karan Aujla for IPL 2025 opening ceremony Ishan Kishan is currently fighting with the BCCI to return to the Indian team in any format possible after the possible miscommunication happened back in February 2024. After he returned to cricket, he performed brilliantly in the IPL and also in every domestic game he played. Overall if we look at the stats, the player has scored 796 runs in 32 games, at an average of 25.67. For him to secure a place in the Indian team, he'll have to knock on the doors of the BCCI selectors with some solid performances in the upcoming IPL season.