IPL 2025 Jake Fraser-McGurk has had two very different experiences in the IPL. Last year, he was a late replacement for Lungi Ngidi, but he made a big impact. In his first season, he scored 330 runs at an amazing strike rate of 234 – the highest ever by anyone who faced at least 50 balls in a season.
But this year has been the opposite. In six matches, he has only made it past the Powerplay once. Only five other opening batters in IPL history have scored fewer runs after six innings, and only one of them was a foreign player like Jake.
Table of Contents
Here’s a comparison of IPL 2025 lowest runs after six innings by openers:
| Player | Year | Runs | Average | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robin Uthappa | 2009 | 44 | 7.33 | 77.19 |
| Murali Vijay | 2012 | 45 | 7.50 | 76.27 |
| Brendon McCullum | 2009 | 45 | 7.50 | 68.18 |
| Prithvi Shaw | 2023 | 47 | 7.83 | 117.50 |
| Parthiv Patel | 2009 | 49 | 8.17 | 85.96 |
| Jake Fraser-McGurk | 2025 | 55 | 9.17 | 105.76 |
One clear trait in Fraser-McGurk’s batting is that he loves hitting the ball in the air. Out of his 15 dismissals in IPL, 14 have been caught and one was a run-out. In IPL 2024, he hit more than one-third of his balls in the air (54 out of 141), scoring fast from them with a strike rate of 409.25.
IPL 2025: Big Changes For This Batsman
But this year (IPL 2025), things have changed. After a poor run since the last IPL – where he averaged just 15.91 in 24 innings – his aerial shots haven’t worked. He’s hit only 12 balls in the air this season and been caught six times – five by fast bowlers and one by a spinner.
Here’s a quick comparison:
| Year | Runs | Aerial Balls | Strike Rate | Dismissals | Avg | Balls per Dismissal | Boundary % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 221 | 54 | 409.25 | 8 | 27.62 | 6.7 | 74.07% |
| 2025 | 23 | 12 | 191.66 | 6 | 3.83 | 2.0 | 33.33% |
In 2024, his baseball-style swings – opening his hips and hitting hard – brought him success. But bowlers quickly learned how to handle him. In his last game of IPL 2024, LSG placed a fielder deep at long-on early in the match. Jake tried to go over him but got caught.
Jake’s Struggles Begin with Shardul’s Clever Setup
In IPL 2025, bowlers have changed their tactics. They’re bowling wider, moving the ball away from his strong hitting zone. In the first match of the season against LSG, Shardul Thakur bowled a swinging delivery with a long-off fielder in place, and Jake got caught trying to hit over him again. Against CSK, Khaleel Ahmed bowled five balls that moved away from Jake and got him out on the fifth, which had the most movement.
All five of Jake’s dismissals against fast bowlers this season have been on balls moving away from him. In 2024, 58% of balls he faced were outside off stump, but in 2025, that’s increased to 64.3%, which has led to four of his dismissals. He’s scoring at just 66.67 strike rate against those deliveries now.
Even though his team, Delhi Capitals, is still winning, Jake is under pressure. Bowlers are exposing his weaknesses, and now he needs to adapt and improve his game quickly if he wants to keep his place and succeed in the IPL.