He scored only 55 runs in IPL 2025.
As the countdown to the IPL 2026 auction begins, former Delhi Capitals (DC) opener Jake Fraser-McGurk reflects on his Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 stint and key realisation.
Featured in the DC released players list, JFM will enter the IPL 2026 auction with a base price of INR 2 crore and is placed in the BA1 set. Notably, the much-awaited IPL 2026 auction will take place in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, December 16.
Speaking at The Surge: Big Bash podcast, the 23-year-old acknowledged that his six-hitting obsession and fans’ expectations of clearing the ropes from first ball may have contributed to the inconsistency following his explosive IPL debut season in 2024 with the Delhi Capitals.
“It is hard, especially when there’s a crowd there, and you’re young, you’re like, oh, gee, like this is elite. I felt that most of that is my second year of the IPL, where everyone expected me to do what I did the year before, and the Delhi crowd were just like, ‘here we go, six first ball’… It just has to be a boundary first ball.”
“It sort of got to me, and I couldn’t really escape it. I kept trying to go harder and harder and just trying to get that first boundary away, and then realised it just doesn’t work like that,” JFM told the host, Aaron Finch, former Australian captain, at a podcast when asked about his learnings from the success of his initial IPL seasons.
The Australian opener first made heads turn during the BBL 2023-24 season, thanks to his six-hitting prowess at just 21. Representing Melbourne Renegades, he amassed 257 runs in eight innings at 32.12 average and 158.64 strike rate, highlighting a fearless approach and ability to dismantle any bowling attack.
While Fraser-McGurk went unsold at the IPL 2024 auction, he joined DC as a replacement for Lungi Ngidi and made an immediate impact, smashing 330 runs at 36.66 average and 234.04 strike rate. This stupendous performance with the bat also earned him an Australia T20I call-up in September 2024.
However, things had already started to go against him, giving him a tough reality check. Jake Fraser-McGurk endured a lean patch post IPL 2024. He has scored 714 runs in 42 T20 innings across all franchise leagues and international cricket at an average of 17 with a strike rate of 142.80, featuring only four half-centuries.
In IPL 2025, the 23-year-old managed just 55 runs at an average of 9.16 and a strike rate of 105.76, underlining his poor form. Once seen as the successor to veteran David Warner in white-ball cricket for Australia, his lack of consistency and impact saw him dropped from the national setup.
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However, despite going through a tough phase with the bat, the Aussie youngster is expected to attract bids from multiple franchises, including Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals. With Melbourne Renegades set to open their BBL campaign on Monday, December 15, the former DC opener has a huge opportunity to showcase his power-hitting prowess and boost his case further for an IPL contract, using his recent learnings to bring consistency into his game.
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