The stage is all set for the much-anticipated Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction on November 24 and 25 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The auction will start at 1 PM local time, which is 3:30 PM IST, on both the days.
Among all big names of world cricket, the wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant will be the center of attraction. Pant, who was leading Delhi Capitals in the last few seasons, wasn’t released by his franchise ahead of the auction.
The former India and CSK batter Suresh Raina feels that Pant will trigger a bidding war during Sunday’s IPL mega auction in Jeddah and the wicketkeeper batter could smash the Rs 25 crore barrier.
“More than his batting and keeping, he’s a great character to have in the team when he is a captain. Any owner or coach would not like to miss his X-factor,” Raina, IPL Expert, JioStar, told PTI.
“Punjab, Delhi, KKR, and RCB have the money. So, when he comes to the auction, expect him to go 4-5 crores higher than Rs 25 crore,” he added.
Raina, who was the first player to breach the 5000-run mark in IPL history and played a crucial role in Chennai Super Kings’ title win in the past, also highlighted Pant’s on-field energy and rapport with players.
“He has that strength, the bonding he has with players, and everyone wants to play under him, which makes him special,” the former India left-hander said.
“No one will leave him. This is a three-year auction. If you’re getting Rishabh Pant for three years. CSK don’t have that budget, but I definitely see him going to RCB or maybe as the captain of KKR. He will bring a lot of fans if he goes to KKR,” he added.
According to reports, Punjab Kings will go after Pant and looking at their auction purse, the franchise is one of the favourites to have an Indian star as a part of their lineup.
Punjab Kings coach Ricky Ponting, who has worked with Pant at Delhi Capitals, was asked about the development. The former Australia skipper said that Rishabh is going to be a target for most teams.
“Oh look, we’ve spoken about lots of players in the auction. I mean, Rishabh is going to be a target for most teams, you’d think,” Ponting told Star Sports.
“Certainly the ones that have kept a big enough purse. So we go into the auction with the biggest purse, but when you think about that, when you break it down, we’ve only kept the two players,” he added.
