Will Rishabh Pant become the first Indian cricketer to breach the Rs 25 cr mark in the IPL auctions? Or will that honour go to Arshdeep Singh or even Shreyas Iyer? Add KL Rahul to the mix, and it should make for a high-octane mega-bidding process.
Star wicketkeeper-batter Pant, left-arm seamer Arshdeep, and the in-form Iyer — who smashed a blazing century for Mumbai against Goa in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy in Hyderabad on Saturday — look set to to laugh all the way to the bank when the two-day IPL mega auction kicks off in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, at 3:30 pm IST on Sunday.
IPL 2025 Auction
Pant, Arshdeep highly sought after?
Thanks to his audacious stroke play and leadership skills, Pant is widely expected to emerge as the highest-paid player among the 577 individuals going under the hammer. However, Arshdeep Singh, India’s 2024 T20 World Cup hero and joint highest wicket-taker (17 wickets at 12.64), could surprise with his price tag.
Arshdeep’s rare ability to swing the new ball in helpful conditions and excel at the death has made him a hot commodity. Across three IPL seasons, he has been impressive with his returns.
Delhi Capitals (DC), having let go of Pant primarily over captaincy issues, are not expected to use the RTM card for him. Instead, they may target Iyer, who recently led the Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL 2024 title. Washington Sundar too is also expected to fetch a high price.
RCB and Lucknow are expected to go for Pant.
Will Delhi Capitals find a suitable replacement for Rishabh Pant at IPL 2025 auction?