Sports News | India's U19 Stars at IPL Mega Auction: Who'll Be the Next 'Virat Kohli' of the League?

New Delhi [India], November 23 (ANI): The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction from Sunday to Monday is all set to be two of the most intriguing days of this year's cricketing calendar, with several international stars having entered the auction, records expected to be broken and the possibility of some unexpected crossovers.

A total of 574 players have been shortlisted from an initial pool of 1,574 names. These players will go under the hammer from November 24-25 in Jeddah. The list includes 208 overseas players, 12 uncapped overseas talents, and 318 uncapped Indian players.

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Among these players, are some stars from India's ICC U19 World Cup campaign this year, in which they finished as runners-up after a loss to Australia in the title clash.

Let us look at India's U19 stars, who would be aiming to repeat the monumental success of star India batter Virat Kohli. After the U19 WC win in 2008, Virat was signed by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and backed to the hilt by franchise despite various highs and lows displayed throughout his early career. Now, not only Virat stands as the highest run-getter of the IPL with 8,004 runs in 252 matches with eight centuries and 55 fifties, his presence has also transformed RCB into a massive brand and one of the most popular cricket franchises.

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-Uday Saharan

He was the top-run-getter in the tournament, with 397 runs in seven matches at an average of 56.71 and a strike rate of 77.69. He scored a century and three fifties, with the best score of 100. His highlights include a century against Nepal and an 81-run knock against South Africa in the semis.

-Musheer Khan

He was the second-highest run-getter in the tournament with 360 runs in seven matches at an average of 60.00, with a strike rate of 98.09, with two centuries and a fifty. He also took seven wickets.

Since then, Musheer has graduated to first-class cricket and delivered standout performances in the Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy. In nine first-class matches, he has scored 716 runs at an average of 51.14, with three centuries and a fifty in 15 innings. His best score is 203*.

-Sachin Dhas

Dhas ended as the third-highest run-getter for India and overall at fifth spot. He scored 303 runs in seven matches, averaging 60.60, with a century and one fifty. His best score was 116.

Since then, he has been playing first-class cricket, playing for Maharashtra. In six FC matches, he has scored 267 runs in 10 innings, averaging 26.70 and scoring one fifty. His best score is 98.

-Arshin Kulkarni

Though he had some disappointing outings for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) last season, the young pace-bowling all-rounder is someone to look out for future as he could fill the gigantic shoes of star player Hardik Pandya. In the U19 WC, he scored 189 runs in seven matches, averaging 27.00, with a century to his name. He also took four wickets.

In eight T20s, he has scored 130 runs at an average of 18.57, with a strike rate of over 158 and best score of 47. He has also taken four wickets. The youngster has played four first-class matches for Maharashtra, scoring 202 runs in seven innings at an average of 28.85 with two fifties and best score of 87. He has also taken three wickets.

-Saumy Pandey

The slow-left-arm spinner was the top wicket-taker for India in the tournament, with 18 scalps at an average of 10.27, with a best figures of 4/19.

-Naman Tiwari

The left-arm pacer was the most successful Indian pacer in the U19 World Cup, taking 12 wickets at an average of 19.83, with two four-wicket hauls to his name and best figures of 4/20.

-Raj Limbani

The right-arm pacer Limbani did well for India in the tournament, with 11 wickets at an average of 16.54, with best figures of 3/38. In five first-class matches for Baroda, he has made 87 runs averaging 17.40 and has taken five wickets with best figures of 3/47.

The highest reserve price is set at INR 2 crore, with 81 players opting for this bracket. The largest segment comprises players with a base price of INR 30 lakh, totalling 320.

Among the standout names are Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, and KL Rahul, part of the 12 marquee players. These three captains were released by their respective franchises ahead of the retention deadline. For the first time since 2018, the marquee players are divided into two sets, comprising seven Indian players and five overseas stars.

The first set includes Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, and Arshdeep Singh, while the second features KL Rahul, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj. The overseas marquee players are Mitchell Starc, Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone, David Miller, and Kagiso Rabada.

Several teams will deploy Right-to-Match (RTM) cards during the auction. The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Rajasthan Royals (RR), having retained six players each--the maximum allowed--will not have any RTM cards. Punjab Kings (PBKS) hold four RTMs, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) three, and Delhi Capitals (DC) two. Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Gujarat Titans (GT), Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), and Mumbai Indians (MI) each have one RTM.

RTM cards enable teams to buy back released players by matching the highest bid. In this auction, the team with the highest bid can increase their offer once more, after which the team holding the RTM card can match the final bid to secure the player.

The IPL 2025 Mega Auction promises to deliver high-stakes action, with marquee players and strategic manoeuvres set to enthral cricket fans. (ANI)

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