JAIPUR: Rajasthan cricket is alive and kicking. For the first time in the history of Rajasthan cricket, as many as ten players will represent the different franchises in a cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL).
The 2025 season would be the 18th edition of the IPL, organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which will feature ten Rajasthan players, maximum in a single edition so far.
The two-day mega auction concluded in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Monday in which Rajasthan’s talented cricketers were bought by various franchises. Chennai Super Kings management bought three players, while home team Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Titans will see a couple of Rajasthan players each. Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Lucknow Super Giants also snapped a player apiece from the region.
The LSG retained Ravi Bishnoi for a whopping Rs 11 crore. The young leg-spinner from Jodhpur has been a consistent performer over the years in the shortest format and would like to extend his excellent show in the upcoming season too.
Experienced Deepak Chahar was bought by Mumbai Indians for Rs 9.25 crore. Medium-pacer Deepak had been with CSK earlier. The five-time champions MI went into a bidding war with Punjab Kings and CSK over Deepak.
Deepak’s cousin Rahul Chahar was obtained by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 3.20 crore. Leg-spinner Rahul had registered himself at a base price of Rs 1 crore. The 25-year-old has represented three teams in the IPL so far. Rahul helped MI win two IPL titles between 2019 and 2021. He was a regular in the MI playing eleven throughout the three seasons.
Aggressive batter Mahipal Lomror was snapped by Gujarat Titans for Rs 1.70 cr. The diminutive southpaw, used as a finisher by RCB in the previous season, has been in red-hot form in the ongoing domestic season. Lomror, whose base price was Rs 50 lakh, is handy with the ball who smartly varies his pace and trajectory.
Rajasthan Ranji Trophy captain Deepak Hooda was acquired by CSK for Rs 1.7 crore. This strategic signing is expected to bolster CSK’s middle-order batting and provide a valuable off-spin bowling option, enhancing their chances for another title run in 2025.
Left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed’s move to the CSK marks a significant chapter in his cricketing career for a price of Rs 4.8 crores. The 26-year-old, known for his agility and wicket-taking ability, has been a steady performer since his IPL debut in 2018.
Khaleel can share the new ball with his state-mate Kamlesh Nagarkoti next season for CSK. The Rajasthan pacer could not play any game in 2023 due to a back injury and was released after the season. In the 2024 auction, he went unsold.
Another speedster Ashok Sharma will don the Rajasthan Royals colours. The 22-year-old has been a part of the RR camp in the past where he has been a net bowler and earned praise from a lot of players from the squad. Ashok played for KKR in 2022.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Kunal Singh Rathore was again bought by RR at his base price of Rs 30 lakh.
Leg-spinner Himanshu Sharma of Sikar, who played in the last three years, was unsold this season, while in-form Abhijeet Tomar was unlucky to get a chance in any of the ten teams.
The Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) official confirmed that this is the best auction for the region and will give further boost to the sport.
“It is a record for Rajasthan cricket that in all ten players will compete in the next IPL. It just goes to show that there are a lot of talented cricketers in the state. The number could have been bigger had some of the upcoming players like Kartik Sharma, Arafat Khan and a couple of others also got picked during the mega auction,” said the RCA official.
IPL 2025: Rajasthan’s Super Ten
