Manvinder Bisla Interview: Virat Kohli Is the Best Gen Gold Player in IPL 2025
The Quint discussed all things IPL 2025 with 2012 champion Manvinder Bisla, from Virat Kohli to MS Dhoni's CSK.
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The Orange Cap race of the 2025 Indian Premier League features an eclectic mix of Indian youngsters, in the likes of Sai Sudharsan and Yashasvi Jaiswal, and overseas stalwarts, namely Nicholas Pooran and Jos Buttler. The only incongruity is the presence of Virat Kohli, who happens to be an omnipresent force on this specific list across every season.
Ahead of RCB’s revenge week match against Rajasthan Royals on 24 April, Manvinder Singh Bisla – former IPL winner with Kolkata Knight Riders and currently a Haryanvi expert with JioStar – praised Kohli for his unparalleled constancy, during an interview with The Quint.
Here are the excerpts from the interview:
Whilst many of the older players have struggled this season, from Ravindra Jadeja to Ravichandran Ashwin, Virat Kohli continues to be the exception. What makes him different?
It is true that the Generation Gold players have struggled in this IPL. There are quite a few players, whom we have seen do so well over the years, but fail to perform this year. But Virat Kohli is an exception. He has not struggled, because he never does. If we keep the first 2-3 seasons out where his batting order was not fixed, Virat Kohli has always performed. He is unstoppable. He is a very crucial player for RCB, for so long Kohli stays at the crease, he ensures his team does not have any troubles. If he does not score in one match, be prepared to see him going big in the next.
We have seen quite a few youngsters doing well in IPL 2025. Who has been the most impressive, and why so?
There have been a few great Generation Bold finds in IPL 2025 – specifically Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre. Look at their ages, one is just 14 and the other is 17. The best aspect of their game is that they are both fearless. How many players have hit their maiden IPL delivery for a six? Vaibhav did that. Then look at Ayush, he is playing for CSK, a team that has struggled so much, but he batted so effortlessly. People were asking why was he not picked during the auction. The keyword here is intent. Both of them have shown intent, and this is precisely what you want to see in the IPL.
Sunrisers Hyderabad, last year’s trendsetters, are on the verge of elimination after losing to Mumbai Indians yesterday. What has been ailing them?
When Sunrisers Hyderabad scored 286 runs in their first match against Rajasthan Royals, everyone started talking about them scoring 300. In the subsequent matches, it seemed as if all of their batters were chasing 300, and they didn’t have a backup plan. They did not know what to do if two wickets fell early. The lack of a backup plan has cost them dearly.
Another team that has not found any rhythm whatsoever is Chennai Super Kings. Why have the five-time champions looked so lacklustre?
Chennai Super Kings have shown no intent at all. They did not have a batter to capitalize on the powerplay overs. Even after the powerplay, it seemed that if Shivam Dube did not perform, they don’t have a batter who can keep the scoreboard ticking in the middle-overs. Throughout the season, it seemed that CSK have no batters who can score runs quickly.
Your former team, Kolkata Knight Riders are not doing any justice to the tag of defending champions. Can they script a turnaround from their next match, which is against Punjab Kings on 26 April?
I feel Kolkata Knight Riders will have to pull off a comeback in this match, because if they don’t, their season is all but over. They had a great chance of beating Punjab Kings at New Chandigarh, but they had a batting collapse. Collapses are a part of the game, KKR need to move ahead and put on a strong show in the upcoming match. For that to happen, their batters need to bat with freedom. Even in the last match against Gujarat Titans, it seemed as if their batters were afraid. This is the IPL. If you bat with fear at this level, your team is bound to lose.
Talking about another team that was impressive until this year, Rajasthan Royals are languishing among the bottom-dwellers. Is all hope lost for them?
Rajasthan Royals, too, must win their next match to stay alive in the competition. They will face Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Chinnaswamy, and the best way of beating them is to hope you win the toss and then bowl first. A lot has been talked about RCB losing three matches at home, but all of them were while batting first. They are a good chasing side, so RR will have to hope they get RCB to bat first.