Spin vs Pace in IPL 2025: What’s Winning More?

Each IPL season reshapes the tactical blueprint of T20 cricket. In 2025, that shift has centred around a core battleground: spin versus pace. While power-hitting and matchups dominate the headlines, the real contest—quiet but decisive—has played out over 20 overs as captains try to answer a fundamental question: which bowling style bends games more in your favour?

Traditionally, Indian pitches tilt the equation slightly in favour of spinners. But modern IPL teams are no longer built on tradition—they’re built on data. And in 2025, that data is starting to point toward a more nuanced truth: it’s not about one type of bowling winning outright, but how they’re used, where they’re used, and by whom.

This article dives into what the numbers, match situations, and player performances in IPL 2025 reveal about the real balance of power between spin and pace—not just in theory, but in the heat of actual contests.

1. The Early Overs Still Belong to the Quick Men

For all the talk of spin’s evolution in T20 cricket, the powerplay remains the domain of fast bowlers. In IPL 2025, pacers have taken approximately 70% of powerplay wickets, averaging just under 24 with an economy rate of 7.4—statistically superior to their spin counterparts, who have been used far less frequently in the first six overs.

Teams like Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians have doubled down on this dynamic, deploying high-pace units like Gerald Coetzee, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohsin Khan to rattle batters early. Their brief? Attack the stumps, exploit movement—however minimal—and deny openers the room to free their arms.

What’s striking this year is how lengths have evolved. Gone are the conservative back-of-a-length probes. Instead, fast bowlers are going full or short, rarely in-between—looking for wickets or dot balls, not containment. It's high-risk, but the rewards are evident in the numbers and the win columns.

That said, this dominance is conditional. When early breakthroughs don’t arrive, teams that over-rely on pace often find themselves scrambling. And that’s where spin still plays its trump card—through control in the middle overs and disruption when the dew fades late in the game.

2. The Middle Overs: Spin’s Tactical Stronghold

If pace sets the tempo in the powerplay, spin manipulates the middle. Between overs 7 and 15, spinners in IPL 2025 have reclaimed their relevance—not merely as defensive options, but as proactive weapons.

The numbers tell a sharp story. In this phase, spin bowlers are averaging just under 21 runs per wicket, with an economy of 6.7, outperforming pace across nearly every metric except bounce-induced false shots. Teams like Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants have been especially effective, using wrist spin as a chokehold rather than a gamble. Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, and Noor Ahmad aren’t just bowling to contain—they’re bowling to disrupt rhythm.

This year, we’re also seeing more aggressive field settings for spinners. Short midwickets, slips for left-armers, ring fields that dare batters to go aerial. And it’s working—middle-over strike rates against spin have dipped below 115, one of the lowest in IPL history.

Perhaps the most compelling change is how spinners are being used outside conventional matchup logic. Off-spinners bowling to right-handers. Left-arm spinners operating at the death. There’s more faith in skill than stereotype. And in doing so, captains are turning the middle overs into a strategic minefield.

In an age obsessed with six-hitting, spin has become the discipline that forces the ego out of a batter’s swing. And it’s not just about variety—it’s about planning, pressure, and precise execution.

3. The Death Overs: The Balance Gets Complicated

This is where it gets murky. Historically, the final five overs have been fast bowler territory—toe-crushing yorkers, shoulder-high bouncers, and tactical wides outside off. But IPL 2025 has challenged that trend. More teams are experimenting with spin at the death, especially when dew is minimal or matchups favour a turning ball.

While pace still dominates overall usage at the death (about 85% of balls bowled), spinners have quietly delivered breakthroughs in low-scoring games. Sunil Narine and Kuldeep Yadav, in particular, have been trusted with 18th or 19th overs—something unthinkable even two seasons ago. In a few matches, their overs have cost fewer than 8 runs and produced crucial wickets, forcing a shift in captaincy instincts.

But make no mistake—pace still rules this phase when executed well. Arshdeep Singh, T Natarajan, and Anrich Nortje have been among the most lethal death specialists this season, armed with reverse swing, wide yorkers, and pace-off variations that hit the pitch like iron.

What’s different in 2025 is that captains aren’t sticking to rigid templates. They’re flexible. If a left-arm spinner is getting purchase—even in the 17th over—they’re getting the nod. It’s no longer heresy to end with spin, provided the risk-reward equation supports it.

In a tactical sense, IPL 2025 is the most open-minded season we’ve seen regarding who bowls the death overs. Spin isn’t replacing pace—it’s infiltrating the closing act.

4. Match Winners: Who’s Leading the Charge?

To understand which discipline is winning more, we have to look beyond phases and dig into impact players—those whose spells have turned matches. And in IPL 2025, that list is gloriously balanced.

For pace, the standout names include Gerald Coetzee, who has combined brutal pace with clever variation, often bowling the 18th and 20th overs with icy calm. Jasprit Bumrah has returned to his metronomic best, while Arshdeep Singh continues to grow as a left-arm option who can bowl with the new ball and close games out with pin-point yorkers.

But spin has hit back with its own MVPs. Sunil Narine—now operating more as a full four-over force than a matchup piece—has bowled in powerplays, middle overs, and occasionally the death. His economy hovers below 6.8. Kuldeep Yadav’s resurgence has been dramatic; he’s been a wicket-taker every game, not just a containment tool.

Perhaps the biggest spinner revelation has been Noor Ahmad, whose wrist spin has been virtually unreadable under lights. Bowling in high-pressure moments, he's forced opposition batters to retreat into survival mode rather than attack.

Interestingly, some of the best bowling spells of IPL 2025 have come from mixed-mode attacks. Bowlers like Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya, though not express pacers or elite spinners, have played complementary roles—proving that it’s often the mix, not the mode, that wins games.

5. Venue Bias and Strategic Adaptability

The 2025 season has seen venues exert greater influence than ever on bowling patterns. Grounds like Chepauk and Lucknow have heavily favoured spin, with surface grip and slowness turning middle overs into minefields. On the other hand, Wankhede and Eden Gardens have played true and fast, often rewarding short balls and back-of-a-length pace.

Successful teams this year haven’t just picked “best XI” squads—they’ve picked horses for courses. Kolkata Knight Riders, for instance, have gone spin-heavy at home and pace-heavy away. Rajasthan Royals have leaned into Ashwin and Chahal as middle-overs enforcers when playing on slower strips, but let Trent Boult and Avesh Khan take charge when bounce and carry return.

That adaptability has been key. The best sides haven’t married themselves to spin or pace—they’ve used both in concert, toggling roles and spells based on real-time assessments. What’s new is how much matchups and micro-conditions now influence bowling decisions.

And while fan narratives still crave a “dominant” bowling style, the data suggests balance is the actual edge.

Conclusion: So, What’s Really Winning More—Spin or Pace in IPL 2025?

In terms of sheer wickets, pace still edges out spin. In the powerplay and death overs, fast bowlers continue to do the heavy lifting. But in terms of economy, pressure-building, and middle-overs control, spin has reclaimed serious value—and often dictates the tempo of the game.

The most successful IPL 2025 teams haven’t favoured one over the other. They’ve weaponised both. They’ve built their squads to use pace as a strike force and spin as a stabiliser, or vice versa depending on venue, matchup, and phase.

If anything, IPL 2025 has killed the idea that one must dominate for a team to succeed. It’s no longer a binary. The lines between spin and pace are blurring, with players like Narine, Hardik, and Rashid redefining what roles look like.

So what’s winning more? The answer is: neither, alone. But both, together—when used smartly, flexibly, and without stubbornness.

In an era of data and depth, it's the versatility of attacks, not just their composition, that is setting teams apart.