The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction is set to commence on November 24th and 25th in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and an overall of 574 players have been shortlisted out of 1,574 registered candidates. It includes 366 Indians and 208 foreigners (three cricketers from Associate Nations), out of which three players with 40-plus age and fifteen youngsters are set to enter the auction to make the two-day bidding contest a grand event.
Interestingly, the 43-year-old MS Dhoni becomes the oldest cricketer whereas the 13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi is the youngest participant with his base price of INR 30 lakhs in the forthcoming 18th season. Additionally, you can find other Indian teenagers such as Ayush Mhatre, and Andre Siddarth along with South Africa’s Kwena Maphaka, and Afghanistan’s Allah Ghazafnar gearing up for the mega auction.
Let’s take a closer look at these five youngest players as of 20th November 2024, who are set to make the headlines in the IPL 2025 mega auction.
1. Vaibhav Suryavanshi (India): 13 years and 238 days
At the age of 13 years and 238 days, Vaibhav Suryavanshi created history by becoming the youngest player ever to be shortlisted in the IPL auction history. Also, he is the youngest Indian debutant in first-class cricket since 1986 as well as the second youngest to participate in Ranji Trophy representing Bihar.
Since Vaibhav’s debut in first class in January 2024, he scored 100 runs in 5 matches at an average of 10.00 and strike rate of 63.29, including his highest score of 41 runs.
But, it was during the Youth Test series when the left-handed batsman grabbed the entire cricket world’s attention. His 62-ball-104 century (including 14 fours and 4 sixes) in the India U19 vs Australia U19 helped him gain entry into the IPL 2025 mega auction as a promising opening batsman.
Four days after the auction, Suryavanshi is set to take part for India in the forthcoming Under-19 Asia Cup 2024 that takes place between November 29 and December 08.
2. Ayush Mhatre (India): 17 years and 127 days
Ayush Mhatre gained a reputation as a talented opening batsman from Mumbai by creating a sensation in domestic cricket with his stunning century against Maharashtra in the Group A fixtures of the Ranji Trophy Elite 2024-25. His 232-ball-176 run knock (including 22 fours and 4 sixes) enhanced his team’s flow of runs, despite Maharashtra’s strong bowling performance.
Out of his 6 first-class matches, Mhatre scored 441 runs in 6 innings averaging at 40.09 and a strike rate of 72.89.
In addition to earning a spot in India’s squad for the Under-19 Asia Cup, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) invited Ayush for trials, which is a dream for aspiring youngsters. At the age of 17 years and 127 days, this right-handed batsman could be a strong contender in the mega auction as several teams would aim to secure one of the youngest consistent performers.
3. Andre Siddarth (India): 18 years and 84 days
As an 18-years and 84-day-old middle-order batsman for Tamil Nadu, Andre Siddharth becomes the third-youngest cricketer to get shortlisted for the IPL 2025 mega auction.
Since his first-class debut against Saurashtra in October 2024, the right-handed batsman scored 372 runs in 6 innings at an average of 93.00 and a strike rate of 60.29. A couple of weeks back, Siddarth recorded his Ranji Trophy’s highest score of 94 runs from 163 balls (including 9 fours and 1 six) against Assam, resulting in receiving his maiden opportunity to be a part of India’s Under-19 Asia Cup.
Especially, franchises such as Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) that are aiming to build a squad from scratch can acquire this young talented batsman to add fuel to the middle-order batting lineup.
4. Kwena Maphaka (South Africa): 18 years and 226 days
As an 18-year-old cricketer, Kwena Maphaka aims to strengthen his IPL career in the 2025 season. Hailed from Johannesburg, the left-arm medium-pacer can deliver balls consistently at a speed of 140 km/hr.
Since Maphaka’s first-class debut in June 2023, he bagged 7 wickets in 4 innings including his best bowling figures of 2-37 in an innings averaging at 27.71 and 4.63 economy.
His first stint with Mumbai Indians (MI) in the IPL 2024 wasn’t impressive as he managed to take a single wicket out of 2 innings, including his best bowling figures of 1-23 against Rajasthan Royals (RR). Representing his team in three T20 internationals, the South African’s raw pace bowling makes him a potential candidate to bid at a higher price.
5. Allah Ghazanfar (Afghanistan): 18 years and 244 days
Afghanistan’s off-spinner Allah Ghazanfar has been impressive with his stunning performance in the Emerging Asia Cup and One Day Internationals (ODIs). He bagged 12 wickets in 8 ODI innings averaging at 12.33 and a strike rate of 105.71. His best bowling figures of 6-56 wrapped up Bangladesh’s innings from 120-2 in 25.4 overs to 143-10 in 34.3 overs.
Ghazanfar’s variations in spin bowling attack make him a valuable inclusion to any IPL team’s squad as the fifth-youngest player at the age of 18 years and 244 days.