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.