Trent Boult: Still the Powerplay King?

There’s a particular theatre to Trent Boult with the new ball — a kind of rhythmic violence that has, over the years, dismantled opening batters before they’ve even set eyes on the scoreboard. It’s a reputation he’s earned — not built on pace alone, but shape, discipline, and relentless intent. And yet, as IPL 2025 rolled in, Boult wasn’t returning to defend a crown. He was returning to reclaim one.

Having spent the last few seasons with Rajasthan Royals — serviceable, at times brilliant, but rarely central — Boult rejoined Mumbai Indians for INR 12.5 crore. The move came with questions. He was now 35. Had he lost a yard? Could he still lead the attack in a format that increasingly rewards variation over seam? Most crucially: was he still the Powerplay King, or had the title quietly moved on?

What followed was a season of nuance, not nostalgia. Boult didn’t just remind fans of his worth — he rebuilt it, spell by spell, early wicket by early wicket. The numbers were solid. The impact? Tangible. And as we look back at MI’s campaign, Boult’s return stands out not as a throwback, but as a reassertion of relevance.

1. Back to Blue and Gold: A Reunion with Purpose

Mumbai Indians didn’t just buy Boult back — they brought him home. The partnership that helped deliver them the 2020 title had unfinished business. Jasprit Bumrah was fit again. Gerald Coetzee was in. But MI needed more than just heat — they needed structure at the start, and nobody did that better than Boult.

At the auction, eyebrows were raised. INR 12.5 crore wasn’t a minor investment for a 35-year-old who hadn’t had a standout IPL season since 2020. But MI weren’t gambling on potential — they were paying for clarity. They knew what Boult offered: swing with the new ball, wicket-taking intent in the first six, and a left-arm angle that most teams still don’t handle comfortably.

From Match 1, he was back doing what he does best. Opening with Bumrah, Boult immediately added balance. Right-arm precision from one end, left-arm menace from the other. His spells weren’t loud — they were lethal. And more importantly, they created space for others. MI’s middle overs weren’t chasing games. They were managing leads Boult had created.

This wasn’t a redemption arc. This was strategic re-alignment. Mumbai’s faith in Boult wasn’t based on marketing or nostalgia. It was tactical. And over the course of 16 matches, it proved to be absolutely correct.

2. IPL 2025 in Numbers: A Stat Sheet Worth the Spend

Trent Boult ended IPL 2025 with 22 wickets in 16 matches — a tally that placed him among the top five wicket-takers in the tournament. His average (21.00) and economy rate (8.80) weren’t eye-popping in isolation, but considering when and how he bowled, they told a deeper story.

His best figures — 4/26 — came in a commanding performance against his former franchise, Rajasthan Royals. It was a spell that unpicked the Royals’ top order inside the Powerplay, a sort of personal reminder that they perhaps shouldn’t have let him go.

But the consistency was the real story. Boult went wicketless in just three of the sixteen matches he played. Across the tournament, he bowled 51% of his deliveries in the Powerplay, the highest percentage for any pacer in the top 10 wicket-takers list. That alone explains the economy — and amplifies the impact.

Where other seamers were cushioned into the middle overs, Boult did the hard yards early. He bowled to set batters, hard new balls, and match-ups stacked against him. And he came away — more often than not — with a breakthrough in hand.

At 35, he didn’t look like a veteran holding on. He looked like a new-ball specialist who’d made peace with his role and sharpened it to a knife’s edge.

3. Powerplay Mastery: Holding the Crown with New Tricks

So, is he still the Powerplay King?

Let the numbers make the first argument. Boult picked up 13 of his 22 wickets in the first six overs, the most of any bowler in IPL 2025. That stat alone would qualify him for the throne. But it’s how he got those wickets that adds weight to the claim.

Gone are the days where he relied purely on outswing. In 2025, Boult mixed up his lengths, added cross-seamers, and began attacking pads far more aggressively. He wasn’t just searching for the edge — he was targeting the base of off stump and the front pad, exploiting the indecision of aggressive openers.

Against Delhi Capitals, he removed both Prithvi Shaw and Pant inside two overs. Against LSG, he trapped Stoinis and Hooda LBW — both misjudging length. It was calculated demolition, not lucky breaks.

Boult also bowled with exceptional control. His dot-ball percentage in the Powerplay was 56%, highest among bowlers with over 30 overs in that phase. This didn’t just slow teams down — it choked their intent, especially on batting-friendly wickets.

What truly made Boult’s 2025 Powerplay spellbook lethal wasn’t just skill. It was intent. MI didn’t use him defensively. They gave him the mandate to attack, to seek wickets early, even if it meant leaking a boundary here and there. That kind of role clarity turned Boult from a useful tool into a match-shaping asset.

4. Impactful Performances That Turned Games Around

Numbers don’t lie, but moments tell the truth. Trent Boult’s 2025 season wasn’t just statistically sound — it was stacked with defining spells. In a campaign where momentum shifted wildly, Boult offered MI a rare commodity: control through impact.

The most talked-about spell came against Rajasthan Royals. With MI defending a moderate 175, Boult dismantled the Royals’ top order, removing Jos Buttler with a peach that seamed just enough and sending back Parag and Jaiswal in the space of four balls. His 4/26 didn’t just swing the match — it demolished the platform RR were trying to build. MI cruised to a 100-run win. The scoreline may have flattered, but Boult’s Powerplay rampage is what set the tone.

Against Sunrisers Hyderabad, in a crunch fixture for playoff qualification, Boult’s spell of 2/19 in three overs choked the run rate early. Abhishek Sharma’s dismissal — swinging early and bowled — was a textbook case of Boult setting up a batter by first shaping it away, then going straight. In a match decided by just 7 runs, those three overs were the margin.

Even games that MI lost saw Boult leave his mark. Against Gujarat Titans, defending just 152, he struck twice in the Powerplay to reduce GT to 18/3. Though the lower order bailed them out, Boult’s early breakthroughs gave MI a puncher’s chance in a game they had no business competing in.

These weren’t cheap wickets. These were frontline batters, taken early, under pressure. That’s what separates Boult. He doesn’t inflate his stats with tail-enders or dead rubbers. He impacts the phase that determines the script.

5. Adapting with Age: Boult’s New Tricks

Trent Boult has always been a rhythm bowler — someone who relies on repetition, seam position, and subtle movement. But in 2025, what stood out was his willingness to adapt.

He no longer swings it big every ball. In fact, swing was used as a variation, not a constant. The new Boult operates with a tighter seam, flatter trajectory, and a greater awareness of angles. He’s using the crease more, going around the wicket to right-handers to cramp room, and occasionally bowling cross-seam deliveries to make the ball sit up awkwardly.

In the past, Boult was vulnerable when the ball didn’t move. This year, he learned to defend without retreating. He embraced bowling into the pitch, changed his pace more frequently, and wasn’t afraid to use bouncers — even in the Powerplay. His short ball to dismiss Heinrich Klaasen was a standout moment: not fast, but perfectly placed and completely unexpected.

This evolution wasn’t about hiding decline. It was about optimising a proven skillset for modern conditions. And the real mark of it? Opposition batters weren’t attacking him early. They were leaving him alone — or trying to.

The other piece of the puzzle is fitness. Boult played all 16 games — no visible signs of fatigue, no management-induced rests. For a fast bowler over 35, that in itself is a statement. He didn’t just evolve his method. He maintained the engine to back it up.

6. Peers, Position, and the Powerplay Legacy

So how does Boult stack up against his peers in 2025?

Among left-arm quicks, he stands alone at the top. Neither T. Natarajan nor Arshdeep Singh matched his Powerplay impact — both were effective but either more expensive or less penetrative. Boult led in wickets inside the first six, and no left-armer came close to his dot-ball control in that phase.

Compared to right-arm quicks? Only Jasprit Bumrah matched his early overs for wicket-taking threat. Bumrah’s economy was lower overall, but he bowled fewer Powerplay overs. Boult shouldered more risk — and still delivered.

What this tells us is that Boult didn’t just survive in 2025 — he set the Powerplay standard. For a format constantly searching for new toys, Boult remained a proven device: deadly, stable, and surprisingly adaptable.

And while others focus on variety, Boult’s legacy has become about clarity. You know what he’s going to do. The question is whether you can stop him from doing it. So far, not many can.

Trent Boult: Is He Still Wearing the Crown?

Trent Boult’s 2025 campaign wasn’t loud. It wasn’t viral. It was clinical, efficient, and quietly dominant — the exact traits that once made him a champion at Mumbai Indians and now have reinstated him as the Powerplay King.

He didn’t bowl the fastest ball of the tournament. He didn’t take a hat-trick. He didn’t gesture to the crowd or pound his chest. But in the most important overs of every match, he walked to the top of his mark, flicked the ball once, and delivered control in a format addicted to chaos.

So yes — if the title ever left his hands, it’s back now. Trent Boult didn’t reinvent T20 bowling in 2025. He just reminded everyone how it should look when it’s done properly.

He’s still the Powerplay King. And he’s not done yet.