Vaibhav Arora - India - Bowler

A right-arm medium-pacer who can swing the ball both ways, Vaibhav Arora made his mark in the IPL during KKR's title-winning season in 2024. It wasn't his first season in the IPL, having made his debut in 2022. But it was the first time he got a proper run, playing 10 matches and showing his ability with the new ball in particular.

Arora's initiation to domestic cricket was a bumpy one. In 2017, when he was 19, he met with a car accident outside Punjab Cricket Association Stadium along with Arshdeep Singh. After recovering from injury, he faced another setback as he didn't get to play a single match for Punjab U19 despite being selected thrice. It made him contemplate leaving cricket altogether, before a life-changing decision to move to Himachal Pradesh changed everything.

He eventually made his first-class debut for Himachal Pradesh in 2019, and made an impression straightaway with a match-haul of 9/105 against Saurashtra which included the wicket of Cheteshwar Pujara who was cleaned up by a booming inswinger.

Arora was picked up as a net bowler by PBKS in 2020, before being signed by KKR in 2021, although he didn't get a single game that season. He was then bought by PBKS for INR 2 crores in 2022, when he made his IPL debut. The following season saw him return to KKR, playing five games in 2023, before getting a more regular role with the team in 2024.