Top 5 players to watch in white-ball cricket this year

White-ball cricket will head into the new season after a thrilling 2025 that was filled with runs, wickets, and individual brilliance. As teams prepare for another brilliant year, the focus remains on players who can adapt quickly across conditions and formats. The past year had numerous white-ball cricket matches, which will be the same case in 2026. Players will come in fresh for the new year and come all guns blazing.

Here are 5 players to watch in white-ball cricket this year

5. Matthew Breetzke

Proteas’ young batter Matthew Breetzke has been South Africa’s most reliable run-scorer in ODIs in 2025. The 26-year-old has scored 706 runs in just 12 ODIs, including a century and six half-centuries. Breetzke has shown the skills to anchor innings, giving South Africa much-needed stability at the top and middle order. His knocks of 72 in Ranchi and 68 in the successful 359 chase at Raipur. Breetzke’s runs have been crucial to South Africa’s ODI confidence in 2025 and will look the same next year.