IPL 2025 Auction: 5 Left-Arm Pacers Who Could be the Top Buy
The upcoming IPL 2025 Auction will feature many players going into the auction. Their fate will depend on the paddle put up by the franchises. Some will see a big surge in their price, credit to their recent performances and form, while some will hope for better luck in the next season. The pool, filled with exciting talent, will be analyzed thoroughly by the franchise. There won’t be any surprise that key batsmen, bowlers, and all-rounders will attract bids from many franchises.
However, the auction will have a high demand for left-arm pacers. Some left-arm pacers may attract a big bid from the franchises, which won’t be surprising. The management will come with full planning to have a particular bowler in their team to balance their squad and form a competitive team.
Let’s look at the 5 left-arm pacers who are likely to have a huge amount to their name:
Mitchell Starc
KKR made the IPL 2024 Auction memorable after purchasing Mitchell Starc at INR 24.75 Crore. A match-winner any day, and one of the most dangerous bowlers in the international circuit. Starc comes with the reputation of wicket-taking and genuine fast bowling. His ability to pick wickets in the powerplay and bowl outstandingly in the death over makes him an ideal contender as a left-arm pacer.
In the IPL 2024, Starc picked up 17 wickets at an economy of around 10. However, his performance in the latter stage of the tournament was enough to guide KKR to the trophy after 10 years. Starc’s ability to swing the bowl and get past the batter’s defense makes him a destructive bowler. Starc turned the game for KKR both times by troubling the fearless openers of SRH during Qualifier 1 and the Final.
As a result, there’s a possibility that Starc is likely to go under the hammer and most likely won’t receive that much of the amount as in the IPL 2024 Auction due to the Auction dynamics.
Reece Topley
Reece Topley, one of the finest English bowlers in recent times, is likely to attract bids from a few franchises. His ability to bowl in the right channel and create doubt in the minds of the batters makes him one of the players to watch out for. He often gets wicket/s in the powerplay that creates pressure on the opposition. He is a tall and muscular guy who often has an advantage over the rest
Topley has picked 35 wickets in 35 innings at an economy of nearly 8.5. This is a good statistic considering the crucial overs that he bowls. Unfortunately, he has not been able to replicate his international performances in the IPL. Picked by RCB in 2023 at INR 1.90 Crore, Topley has not justified his price tag. His injury often becomes an impediment to his playing career. If picked, Topley would love to be at his best given the quality player that he is.
Fazalhaq Farooqi
One of the finest left-arm bowlers in the international circuit and the go-to bowler of the Afghanistan cricket team. His ability to strike in the powerplay makes him a dangerous bowler to play against. On his day, he can win matches on his own. A genuine wicket-taker and a fierce competitor on the field, Farooqi likes to give no edge to the opposition.
This young sensation of the Afghanistan team has picked up 54 wickets in 42 matches at a healthy economy of 6.67. His best of 5 wickets for 9 runs is a testimony of how good a bowler he is. Sadly, he has not proved his potential in the IPL so far and would love to turn the tide this time around.
Marco Jansen
Over 2 meters tall new ball bowler and a bit handy with the bat as well, Jansen has all the qualities to be picked in the auction as a left-arm option. His ability to pick wickets with the new ball makes him one of the most difficult bowlers to pick. In a span of a few balls, Jansen can turn the result of the match. He has proved himself many a time for South Africa and would love to repeat the same performance for the IPL franchise.
With age in his favor, Jansen will likely attract good bids from the franchises. In 21 matches in the IPL, Jansen has picked up 20 wickets at an expensive economy of 9.5 and would like to improve with experience. He has been working on his death over bowling and is likely to justify the talent he has.
Saurabh Netravalkar
One of the best emerging left-arm pacers in the international circuit caught everyone’s eye during the T20 World Cup 2024 by bowling a remarkable spell of 4-0-18-2 against India which also included the wickets of the T20I greats Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. He also bowled a similar spell against Pakistan and won the game for the U.S.A. in the super over. Saurabh Netravalkar is a genuine wicket-taker and can give the team a match-winning spell any day. His ability to understand the game situation and bowl accordingly definitely makes him one of the players to look out for in the upcoming auction.
Saurabh Netravalkar has picked 36 wickets in 36 innings at an economy of around 7. His ability to bowl in the powerplay and pick wickets at the death over will make him one of the sought-after players in the auction. Saurabh impressed everyone with his bowling in the T20 World Cup and is destined to bag a good IPL contract if he registers for the tournament.
It will be interesting to see which left-arm pacer will receive the highest bid and which one will be a surprising buy. IPL auction never disappoints us and is likely to be another banger this year again.
