With the 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) approaching, the franchises are getting ready for the return of the coveted mega auction which will be conducted for the first time since 2022. The mega auction event has been announced to take place on November 24 (Sunday) and 25 (Monday) at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. A total of 1,574 players from 17 countries have registered for the mega auction, one surprising name is that of Thomas Draca, the first Italian player to be part of this event.
With all the 10 IPL franchise teams having already declared the players that they have retained in their squads for the next season. Among them, 409 are overseas players, and 48 are capped Indian cricketers. Speculations are rife over the IPL futures of Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer. Among the names is that of the so far unknown Italian, Thomas Draca.
Thomas Draca is a 24-year-old right-arm medium pacer who plays for Italy in international cricket. He has played four T20Is for his nation, where he has picked up 8 wickets. He made his T20I debut for Italy on June 29, 2024, against Luxembourg at a ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Sub-Regional Europe Qualifier Group A match.
Thomas Draca, played for Brampton Wolves in the 2024 Global T20 Canada, taking 11 wickets in six matches. He was signed by MI Emirates for the 2025 season of ILT20 in September. If shortlisted for the IPL 2025 auction, he could attract interest from the Mumbai Indians franchise.
THOMAS DRACA – THE ONLY ITALIAN PLAYER TO REGISTER FOR IPL 2025 MEGA AUCTION…!!!pic.twitter.com/cHrptU8zNd
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) November 6, 2024
This is the first time that a player from Italy might be up for sale in an IPL auction in its 18-year history. Draca has registered himself in the all-rounder’s section for a base price of Rs 30 lakh. Among the massive lineup of 1574 players, 320 are capped players, while 1224 are uncapped, and 30 are from Associate Nations, including Draca. With a mix of local and international experience, Draca’s inclusion could be a wildcard in the auction.
His all round skill set and adaptability to different T20 leagues may appeal to franchises looking to bring fresh and surprising talent in their ranks. The 10 IPL franchises will collectively have around ₹641.5 crore to spend for 204 slots that are available. Out of those 204 slots, 70 are earmarked for overseas players. Draca will make history if a franchise decides to hedge their bets on him.