The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction is expected to be filled with a plethora of surprises, as you can expect a dynamic bidding strategy from all ten franchises. The stage is perfectly set for the 2-day event to take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Out of the initial pool of 1,574 registered players, a total of 574 cricketers have been shortlisted, and here is a detailed breakdown:
- Indian Players: 366
- Uncapped Indians: 318
- Capped Indians: 48
- Overseas Players: 208
- Players from Associate Nations: 3
- Uncapped Overseas: 12
- Capped Overseas: 196
- Players Above 40s: 3
- Youngest Players: 15
Here the interesting part is that the 42-year-old former England bowler James Anderson is the oldest cricketer to enter the mega auction. Whereas, the 13-year-old uncapped Indian batsman Vaibhav Suryavanshi is set to become the youngest debutant in IPL history. In addition, Ayush Mhatre and Andre Siddarth are categorized under the uncapped Indian players category.
Also, the capped international bowlers from South Africa and Afghanistan namely Kwena Maphaka and Allah Ghazanfar will be keen to solidify their IPL career.
As the IPL 2025 mega auction features a blend of experienced and fresh talents, let’s find out the fascinating achievements of these five young teenagers that helped them gain entry into the rich-cash league.
1. Vaibhav Suryavanshi: Indian Batsman
| Date of Birth | Present Age | Role | Batting Style | Bowling Style |
| 27th March 2011 | 13 years 8 months | Batsman | Left-Handed | Orthodox Spinner (Part-time) |
Hailed from Bihar, Vaibhav Suryavanshi is eager to mark his IPL debut at a very young age following his first-class debut in January 2024 at the age of 12 years. So far, the left-handed batsman scored 100 runs in 10 innings, including his highest score of 41 runs from 43 balls (including 6 fours and 1 six) vs Madhya Pradesh.
Especially, he was the 6th highest run scorer in the 2-match test series between India U19 and Australia U19 by scoring 108 runs in 2 innings. His quickfire century of 104 runs from just 62 balls including 14 fours and 4 sixes at a batting strike rate of 167.74 prompts the franchise to secure his services as an opening batter.
2. Ayush Mhatre: Indian Batsman
| Date of Birth | Present Age | Role | Batting Style | Bowling Style |
| 16th July 2007 | 17 years 4 months | Batsman | Left-Handed | Orthodox Spinner (Part-time) |
It has been one and a half months since Mumbai’s opening batsman Ayush Mhatre made his first-class debut. Although he played only 6 matches, the left-handed batsman scored 441 runs including two centuries and a half-century against these teams:
- 116 runs scored out of 149 balls (including 12 fours and 3 sixes) vs Services.
- 176 runs scored out of 232 balls (including 22 fours and 4 sixes) vs Maharashtra.
- 52 runs scored out of 71 balls (including 5 fours and 1 six) vs Baroda.
Any franchise including Ayush in their squad would be a boon for the batting lineup and provide explosive starts in the powerplay overs.
3. Andre Siddarth :Indian Batsman
| Date of Birth | Present Age | Role | Batting Style | Bowling Style |
| 28th August 2006 | 18 years 3 months | Batsman | Right-Handed | – |
Tamil Nadu’s middle order batsman Andre Siddarth within a month’s debut in First Class cricket scored 372 runs in 6 innings including 4 half-centuries averaging at 93.00 and 60.29 strike rate.
By recording his highest score in Ranji Trophy of 163-ball-94 run knock against Guwahati, the 18-year-old secured his spot in India’s squad for the forthcoming Under-19 for Asia Cup 2024.
4. Kwena Maphaka: South African Bowler
| Date of Birth | Present Age | Role | Batting Style | Bowling Style |
| 08th April 2006 | 18 years 7 months | Bowler | Left-Handed | Left-arm medium-pacer |
As an 18-year-old teenager, the South African pacer Kwena Maphaka is the youngest overseas player in this list. He was the leading wicket-taker in this year’s Under-19 World Cup bagging 21 wickets in 6 matches at an average of 9.71. It includes his best bowling figures of 6-21 against Sri Lanka U19, thereby achieving the most number of 5-wicket hauls in the tournament (in 3 matches).
Despite securing a contract with Mumbai Indians (MI) in IPL 2024, he took a single wicket by conceding 89 runs in 2 matches. However, MI isn’t left with any option of retaining this capped international bowler via RTM card after retaining the maximum of five capped players in the squad.
Teams such as Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Rajasthan Royals (RR), Punjab Kings (PBKS), and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) would aim to acquire him for the highest bid during the auction.
5. Allah Ghazanfar: Afghan Bowler
| Date of Birth | Present Age | Role | Batting Style | Bowling Style |
| 20th March 2006 | 18 years 8 months | Bowler | Right-Handed | Right-arm off-spinner |
Afghanistan’s rising star Allah Ghazanfar can be a valuable asset for his team by producing huge variations in his spin bowling. In 8 ODI matches, he grabbed 12 wickets including his exceptional bowling figures of 6-56 against Bangladesh. Especially, in a franchise league such as the IPL where bowlers are getting thrashed by the batters, Ghazanfar’s inclusion can restrict the opponent’s team total below 200
