Afghanistan spinner Allah Ghazanfar hit the jackpot in the IPL 2025 Auction as the 18-year-old was bought by Mumbai Indians for Rs 4.8 crore on Monday. The spinner has been enjoying a brilliant run of form in the recent past with his devastating spell in the ODI series against Bangladesh making headlines. KKR were interested in buying him back but at the end of an intense bidding war, it was Mumbai Indians who emerged victorious and they ended up adding the talented spinner to their ranks.
Ghazanfar started his cricketing journey as a fast bowler before former Afghanistan skipper Dawlat Ahmadzai turned him into a mystery spinner. He grabbed headlines with his brilliant showing during the 2024 U-19 World Cup where he finished with eight wickets in four matches.
That was enough to earn him a senior team call-up as he made his ODI debut against Ireland. He continued to impress and even won the Player of the Match award in the Emerging Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka A as Afghanistan went on to clinch the title.
The young spinner was also part of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) side that went on to win the IPL 2024 title. He was added to the squad as a replacement for Mujeeb Ur Rahman but did not play any matches for the franchise in the campaign.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru shelled out big bucks for seasoned pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, while Deepak Chahar made an ‘El Clasico’ move from Chennai to Mumbai.
In the capped bowlers set, Tushar Deshpande fetched a big price for himself. His former side, CSK, came in quickly for him at Rs 1 crore, and Rajasthan Royals jumped in at Rs 1.20 crore.
Both CSK and RR kept at it, with the former expressing their intention of bringing Deshpande back to Chepauk. RR was firm in its stance and moved the bid up to Rs 5 crore and quickly up to Rs 6 crore. CSK took a final gamble by raising the paddle for Rs 6.25 crore. But RR pushed their bid to Rs 6.50 crore and made Deshpande a Royal.
Gerald Coetzee was a quick steal by Gujarat Titans for Rs 2.4 crore despite some interest from a couple of franchises.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, a two-time Purple Cap winner and a household name in the cash-rich league, appeared in the auction with a base price of Rs 2 crore. Mumbai raised the paddle straightaway with LSG coming in swiftly.
It was a proper bidding war for Bhuvneshwar, with franchises willing to break the bank for his services. LSG raised the bid to Rs 10 crore, which made MI back out. It seemed the deal was done and dusted, but RCB came right at the end to acquire the seasoned quick for a price tag of Rs 10.75 crore.
(With ANI inputs)
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