New Delhi: The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction is all set to take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Sunday, November 24. The two-day mega-event will see as many as 574 players go under the hammer with several big names in the pool. A number of Indian marquee players are available in the auction pool and are likely to spark bidding wars between the franchises.
Team India wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant is one of the biggest Indian names at the IPL 2025 mega auction and is a strong contender to become the most expensive buy. Pant entered the auction after being released by Delhi Capitals (DC) and will be on the wishlist of many teams, who are looking for a potential captaincy candidate and an explosive Indian wicket-keeper batter.
Ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, former India batter Suresh Raina has made a bold prediction regarding Pant’s price. Raina believes the India star can fetch a record sum of Rs 25-30 crore at the mega auction. Raina’s comments come after former India pacer Irfan Pathan recently said that Pant can break Mitchell Starc’s record of Rs 24.75 crore to become the most expensive player in IPL history in the upcoming auction.
“He is a captain, gun player, gun wicketkeeper. If you look at his brand value, he is good for endorsement…So he should get (the money) as well — Rs 25, 30 (crore), whatever he deserves,” Raina was quoted as saying by the Times of India (TOI).
Praising Pant further Raina said the wicket-keeper batter has the ability to win the IPL trophy with any team. Pant joined Delhi Capitals in 2016 and was appointed as captain of the side in Shreyas Iyer’s absence in IPL 2021. He retained captaincy despite Iyer’s return and was later appointed as the team’s full-time captain as DC decided to release Iyer.
However, Pant failed to inspire DC to their maiden IPL title as captain. Raina feels the likes of KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer will also be in demand at the IPL 2025 mega auction as many teams, including Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals, will be looking for potential captaincy candidates in the mega auction.
“Rishabh has that attitude to win a Cup anywhere. He tried in Delhi, worked very hard there…Same goes with Shreyas Iyer, same goes with KL Rahul because right now it’s not just about buying players — they (teams) are also looking for a captain. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Punjab Kings, Delhi, Lucknow — four teams are such that they are looking for an Indian captain,” said Raina.
Rishabh Pant’s IPL record
Pant has become a household name in the Indian Premier League and has significant experience behind his back both as a player and captain. Pant has so far played 111 matches in his IPL career and has 3284 runs to his name at an impressive strike rate of 148.93, including 18 fifties and 1 century to his name. As captain, Pant has won 23 and lost 19 matches out of 43 for Delhi Capitals.
Former India batter Suresh Raina has shared his bold prediction for a Team India star, stating that he might fetch a record price of Rs 25-30 crore at the upcoming IPL 2025 mega auction. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
