Mitchell Starc in action© AFP
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 auction is just round the corner and a number of big names are all set to go under the hammer. From Shreyas Iyer to Rishabh Pant, there are several superstars who are capable of fetching a huge price but former Indian cricket team all-rounder Irfan Pathan has made a huge prediction. Pathan took to social media to back Pant when it comes to getting the biggest price in the auction and he went on to say that even Mitchell Starc‘s record of Rs 24.75 Crore will be in danger. Kolkata Knight Riders broke the auction record to secure the services of the Australia fast bowler in the IPL 2024 auction.
“Mitchell Starc’s auction record is in danger. @RishabhPant17 is ready to break it,” Irfan Pathan wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Mitchell Starc’s auction record is in danger. @RishabhPant17 is ready to break it!
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) November 18, 2024
Meanwhile, Australia’s bowling coach, Daniel Vettori, will leave the team during the first Test against India in Perth to attend the IPL auction in Saudi Arabia as the coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The Test match is set to begin on November 22 at Perth’s Optus Stadium, while the IPL auction will be held in Jeddah on November 24-25.
This scheduling conflict also affects Ricky Ponting and Justin Langer, who will also leave the Test to attend the auction as head coaches of Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants, respectively.
Vettori is a unique figure in world cricket, holding a permanent assistant coaching role with Australia’s national team while also being the full-time head coach of an IPL franchise and a Hundred team, Birmingham Phoenix. He has been Australia’s bowling coach since 2022 and is highly valued by Cricket Australia (CA), which allows him to balance his international and franchise commitments.
The decision to prioritize the IPL auction over a Test match reflects the evolving landscape of cricket. Although Vettori has missed some series in the past due to franchise commitments, this will be the first time he leaves midway through a Test to attend the IPL auction. CA is currently looking for a new full-time national pace bowling coach to cover for Vettori when he is unavailable.
(With ANI inputs)
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