Veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has picked the six likely most expensive overseas players at the IPL 2025 auction, saying that they aren’t retained by their franchises as well. However, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, who were bought for ₹24.75 crore and ₹20.50 crore by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH), respectively, didn’t make his list as well.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra’, he said, “If we go by reports, Klaasen has already been retained for 23 crores. So I am assuming that if he had come to the auction, he would have been the most expensive. Since he bats very low in the batting order and keeps along with that, he could have been No. 1 or No. 2. After that, the second name that comes to your mind has similar qualities. He is Nicholas Pooran. I feel LSG will also retain him. He is also the kind of player, that if he comes to the auction, he will be very expensive because batting and keeping is a unique combination, and he hits sixes in batting. Both these players play spin well.”
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“Can Sunil Narine be the third name on that list? He was the MVP last season. He scored a century and an eighty and picked up wickets as well. He is outstanding and I feel Kolkata will retain him as well. The only thing that goes against him is that age is not on his side,” Chopra again shared.
In the same video, Aakash Chopra also added that Rashid Khan, if he makes it to the auction, might not be as expensive as he would have been three years ago as well.
“Can Rashid Khan be the fourth? If you had asked the same question three years ago, Rashid Khan might have been No. 1. However, his stocks have dipped slightly. It’s because of injury as well and he hasn’t been the same bowler since he has returned. After that, can it be Travis Head/Pat Cummins? If I look at Pat Cummins’ captaincy, I would say yes, but 20-22 crore? I am still thinking maybe not. I am thinking Travis Head although IPL auction history says that overseas openers don’t get that much money. However, the sort of season he had and the kind of cricket he plays, I think Travis Head,” Chopra said.
“Can Andre Russell be the sixth? Again an all-rounder who bats down the order. He bowls as well and looked fit last year. What goes against him? Exactly the thing that goes against Sunil Narine. He is not getting younger by the day but, once again, what a quality player he is. He is absolutely gun,” Aakash Chopra concluded.
