Punjab Kings opening batter Priyansh Arya showed in his debut match during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 that why was he bought for nearly 13 times of his base price at the auction. The 24-year-old Delhi-based batter scored 47 off 23 balls - missing a well-deserved 50 by just three runs.

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The opening batter smashed seven fours and two sixes during his sojourn but made a big impact as PBKS finished with 73 runs for the loss of one wicket in the powerplay.

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Arya started calmly and hit only one four in his first nine balls and was 17 off 11 balls at one point. He changed gears in fifth over the innings, hitting Gujarat Titans' Arshad Khan for three fours and a six in one over. He also hit South Africa's star pacer Kagiso Rabada for two fours in the last over of powerplay. 

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In the next over, Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan got better of the youngster but not before even him conceding a four.

Arya first grabbed the eyeballs when he hit six sixes in an overs during Delhi Premier League (DPL) while scoring 120 off just 50 balls last year. He entered the IPL mega auction at a base price of INR 30 lakh ($35,000) but went on to fetch INR 3.8 crore ($443,000 approx) after a bidding war among the franchises.

Arya, if he keeps his form, will play a crucial role in Punjab Kings' season this year as they look to win their maiden IPL trophy under new captain Shreyas Iyer and new coach Ricky Ponting.

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Ponting and Iyer have had success as coach-captain duo at Delhi Capitals. Under them, DC attained their best ever result in the IPL history - finishing runners-up in 2020 season. 

Iyer has had a successful year leading to the IPL, especially in Champions Trophy 2025 where he was India's highest run scorer and overall second with 243 runs.