IPL mega auction: Jimmy Anderson, 42, leads the Dads’ Army in the fray

If you thought that T20 cricket is only a young man’s game, think again. A look at the oldest players entered the IPL mega auction 2025 will confirm that there is a premium on experience, while the youngest of candidates will make you gape in awe when the arclights shift to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia on Sunday-Monday.

The FAQs have been answered over and over again: a total pool of 574 players will go under the hammer for a maximum of 204 slots – of which 366 are Indians and 208 are overseas players. The auction will include 318 Indian uncapped players and 12 uncapped overseas players.

While the auction strategy is always a closely guarded secret for the franchises over the years, it’s anybody’s guess that most of the eyeballs will be centred around three ex-captains: Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and K.L. Rahul. Don’t be surprised if Pant eventually breaks the barriers and overhauls the highest paid player’s tag of Rs 24.75 crores so far – which sits on Mitchell Starc.

Jos Buttler, the England white ball captain and already one of the IPL greats, could be one of the overseas players for whom the franchises will be ready to break the bank – while one has to be ready for the auction surprises as always. However, it’s his erstwhile teammate Jimmy Anderson who has evoked a lot of curiosity by throwing in his name in the mix for the first time.

 Now 42 and already functioning as the mentor of  England Test fast bowling pack, Anderson is expectedly the oldest player to have entered the auction at a base price of Rs 1.25 crores. It’s pertinent to remember that the highest wicket-taker among pace bowlers in history (704) has not played T20 cricket since 2014 (his last international appearance in this format being in 2009), though that is not going to be a deterrent given his expertise over reverse swing and bag of tricks for the sub-continent.  

''There is still definitely something in me that thinks like I can still play. I have never done the IPL; I have never experienced it and I think for a number of reasons I feel like I have more to give as a player,'' the veteran said in a BBC podcast.

England’s Jamie Overton is the second oldest at 41, while two old hands: former Royal Challengers captain Faf du Plessis and Afghan allrounder Mohammed Nabi, both 40, can be wise picks. Seasoned IPL stars David Warner and Ravi Ashwin are next on the charts, entering the mega auction at 38 years of age.

Suryavanshi: The youngest

 At the other end of the spectrum, Bihar’s 13-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi has raised eyebrows as the youngest-ever player to make the IPL auction list across 16 years. The teenager made headlines recently when he became the youngest batter ever to record an internatonal century, achieving the feat in a Youth Test for India Under-19 against Australia U-19 in Chennai.

 Mumbai sensation Ayush Mhatre, who recently made his Ranji Trophy debut and has since scored two tons, is the second-youngest player in the IPL 2025 auction at 17. Tamil Nadu’s Andre Siddharth and South African pacer Kwena Maphaka, both 18-year-olds, complete the four.

 Finally, here is a look at the budget available with the 10 franchises after the retentions. Punjab Kings go in with the most amount to spend at the auction with Rs 110.5 crores while Rajasthan Royals have the least with 41 crores.

Who's left with how much

Chennai Super Kings: Rs 55 cr

Delhi Capitals: 73 cr

Kolkata Knight Riders: 51 cr

Royal Challengers Bangalore: 83 cr

Rajasthan Royals: 41 cr

Lucknow Super Giants: 69 cr

Mumbai Indians: 45 cr

Sunrisers Hyderabad: 45 cr

Gujarat Titans: 69 cr

Punjab Kings: 110.5 cr